This review may contain spoilers
Main Male Lead doesnt have role / contribute to the storyline even after halfway through the drama
Im quite frustrated with the drama actually. im halfway through the drama but main male lead doesnt have many important role in the story and rarely or didnt participate in any major plotline compare to his fellow main lead, except he only there as a love interest to female lead and involve in romance or fun part of the story, which by then is not that many scenes. This is a military drama and need seriousness, the character can have this immature vibes, however it depends on the story to inject depth to this type of character slowly. Look, Ive seen Xu kai in the legends, and here he potrays an opposite character, so i know he is a talented actor that can express his character excellently. But the drama didnt justify him enough to develop the depth of his character or involve him in the story. The drama didnt utilize this talented actor yet promoted him/this character as the main lead / couple alongside main female lead. For example, there are many times/scenes that 2nd male lead saved female lead or have that serious moment while main male lead didnt know that his love interest is in trouble. 2nd male lead have dominant upper role halfway through the drama that sometimes i think 2nd male lead should be the main couple because his involvement with female lead looks more realistic in life, compare to the main male lead whom have random involvement with her at times and always playful and immature without having serious outlook on his character (scene which can spark enough interest to female lead because female lead has more complicated side that needs reliable male lead- its not very realistic in a military drama to have male lead that always joke around and didnt get serious enough). Thats why i think viewer can't feel stronger chemistry between main couple compares with 2nd male lead and main female lead whom developed enough chemistry to spark viewer interest for this couple.For me, main male lead character can be playful, quirky, immature but usually this type of character (even in rom-com) have serious side about him that others dont know. They can develop this side slowly and put some serious scene and inject maturity into the character so that he can be put in major plotline. Halfway through the drama and yet this male lead was left behind in any major plotline (like he doesnt know that female lead is investigating something or troubled with something while the other 3 main lead and villain including support role already in the mainstream plot, like wth happen with the story that he was left behind at the important part that all the characters / his peers have start getting involved yet he still not knowing anything - and sometimes i feel like he doesnt care for it). His character is like this support role that people only comes for fun part and takes for a joke but doesnt want to get him involve in most part of their life. Sometimes i feel this character doesnt even qualify to be made 2nd male lead in this drama. Wth that during the mission main male lead can still play around and the important point is he doesnt contribute anything to the storyline's progress. You see main lead can still be playful and immature but reliable, but he is playful but unreliable at the same time. He always jokes around and doesnt take things seriously. I think if they put any character or the main male lead died, it didnt affect the story at all. To be fair, the main male lead actually felt more compatible with 2nd female lead in terms of chemistry because he have more serious scene and depth with her, though im hoping his character get more serious from time to time. Of course there are few scene that fluttered your heart and give second look at main male lead, but somehow its not enough to develop this character to be taken seriously and to be relied upon. This is not the fault of actor or the acting/performance, rather that this character didnt have enough serious scene and intimate moment to develop the character for the audience/viewer.
I mean look, its halfway through the story, this supposed to be near or at the climax part of the drama. At this point, the drama should have shown us the viewer what to look forward on every character for the rest of the plot. If you (the production) want to have strong love rival in the drama, at least give both love interest (or any character at all) same chance to develop their chemistry. But for me this is not love triangle or anything, they do the opposite - they strengtened the 2nd male lead character and story towards female lead, but abandoned the main male lead character development at all. Not even that, the main male lead (for me) doesnt have enough strong point to be called the main lead. Because the drama doesnt show that he is reliable or can be relied upon when he needs to.
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The female lead, incompetent and thoughtless, but very brave and tries hard is a character I'd rather not see again. I kept having to stop and take a deep breath at how many times she did the obvious wrong or careless thing and often ended up needing rescuing. It's the type of thing where she announces a life or death secret right where everyone can hear, where she jumps in and ends up ruining the mission instead of going and getting help as she was asked to do etc. etc.
I am a big fan of rescue scenes. A man sacrificing himself or something he wants most for the woman he loves is one of my top romantic tropes - but not this way.
The love triangle was great, the backdrop of WWI an important reminder of tumultuous and violent times and what it means to try and make a difference. The costumes, makeup, sets and historical items and/or replicas were incredibly well done.
It's a shame, but I'm dropping.
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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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