Best quality drama I have seen so far
This is for sure the best quality drama I have seen<3 Actors
The main cast is brilliant. The 4 mains characters were all cast perfectly, the main girl Xie and the main guy Gu have a great chemistry and both played their roles with brio.
2nd set of main characters Shen and Qu are both excellent as well. Qu's character could have been annoying but her facial expressions and changes of mood were delicately done and she managed to make her character quite endearing.
All side characters including the main villain are also great, you get attached to so many of them and don’t get disappointed at any point by their performance
<3 Story
The story is not always simple, like most dramas it’s always problem after problems after problems! Sometimes maybe a little bit too intense especially towards the end where many side villains are introduced.
But overall it’s very interesting, I actually made a lot of researches regarding this era while watching as I thought it was really captivating (pre-World War I).
The main love story is also really endearing, and the actors and writers made a great effort at adding a lot of humour around the cheesiness of some lines which made it very believable (a lot of times I related to side characters reacting to Public Display of Affection)
There are obviously some “short cuts” but these were much less problematic than any other dramas I watched before
<3 Fa Mulan
The “Fa Mulan” classic girl/guy story was more believable than in some dramas I have watched before, though sometimes I was like: “come on”
However the main character is strong independant woman which was really refreshing. I liked that they had to save her a few times, but she also saved her friends by using both strength and intelligence (not only intelligence).
She’s got a strong will power, like a lot of main actresses in dramas but this time she doesn’t hid behind men for help, she’s solving things by herself or using her team and this is soooo good to watch
<3 Open minded show!
Even though, there is no real homosexuality happening in the drama, there are actually a lot of reference to it. The drama is quite "open minded" about it and I thought brought a pretty fresh eye by promoting a “and so what” attitude towards men couples instead of other characters just making fun or being weird about it! I thought this was also really refreshing.
<3 Costumes/set/Visual effects
Great great effort! The set is amazing, such a perfect location, the houses, the dorms, canteen, bar, houses all are really well chosen.
Costumes were really good, only thing I thought could be better was the choice of some shoes/boots. Maybe very similar to historic costumes I didn’t not look closer to this.
Visual effects were average ok, better than any drama I have seen so far.
<3 Music
Was good overall.
Towards the end when it get patriotic though it gets a bit too cheesy.
< / 3 Patrio tism
You don’t feel it too much in the first 2 third of the movie but last 5/6 episodes it gets really intense and too cheesy. This has been my only real issue with the drama. An equivalent of Avengers Captain America if you want, about saving your country, being proud to kill people, hating on some political views well intended to please the government in place in 2022… It was too much, and you feel it which takes you out of the drama story a bit as you can feel it’s been edited to please “some” people
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm not one to love military, treason, underhanded tactics and what not but I gotta admit that I couldn't turn away. This drama was freaking amazing. I was hooked on bridal mask many years ago because of the amazing development of the male lead but now wow this drama definitely took the cake. I was mesmerized by the character development, the plot, the amazing acting cast as well as how the story didnt get dull. It's a shame that some favorite characters died but definitely it was worth it. Amazing drama. 100%worth all the hours I put in it
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Overall Great Characters
I found a few of the characters a little annoying, but they all have their redeeming qualities. You have the rich guys Gu Yanzhen and Shen Junshan who have opposing personalities, but believe loyalty and friendship is the most valuable commodity. And then you have Huang Song who comes from much poorer roots, but is high-achieving in his own right and aspires to be successful and support his family. At the center of it all is Xie Liangchen/Xie Xiang who disguises herself as a man to attend the academy. This lends her into ending up in a lot of peculiar situations. Even though she doesn't perform as well as her classmates at first, her bravery shines throughout the series.All in all, I would definitely recommend this series to anyone, particularly those who love drama, action, and some comedic LOL moments.
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Worth the watch
I normally don't like to watch dramas about this time period, because they're mostly about war, military, and conflict between many countries, especially Japan. However, this drama made me hooked and I was excited to watch every episode. Every episode was funny and had just the right amount of romance for it to be cute, but not so cliche at the same time.SPOILER!!
Since it's a conflict drama, expect to see some sadness. Even though I saw what was coming, I still cried a lot because I really liked every character.
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Amazing Chinese Drama
I really really love this drama! The actors are excellent and the story as well. Whenever someone ask me about what's best chinese drama, I always recommend this Arsenal Military Academy. Not just about romance, but also drama, action, and patriotism. This drama also makes me cry. The friendship role of the actors are natural, I really really recommend this for everyone to watch. I love Bai Lu, Xu Kai, Wang Yi Zhe and Toby Lee. As well as Huang Song. What makes this drama amazing is their history with the Japanese, how eager military student to fight for their countryWas this review helpful to you?
Awesome
Dang! This drama deserved a high score! Or even more? I watched it because of the high rating and XuKai, didn't expect anything, but it now has become one of my favorite cdramas now. The girl disguised as a boy is such an awesome success! I can't see the girly side of her, even when she wore a wig I still saw her as a boy. She is so handsome tho, lmao.I love the character development of each character, especially Li WenZhong. Imho, he won the best character development in this drama. Overall, I love the whole drama. Also, all of the soundtracks are really good.Was this review helpful to you?
A great drama!
I'm 2 years late but this is one of the best cdramas I have ever watched, might be the best one yet. At first, I was hesitated to watch this as it has 48 episodes and it would be my longest drama that I have watched so far. Despite that, I'm still watching because of Xukai and Bailu starring in this one. If you're asking whether this drama is worth the episodes they had. YES. The plot, casts and ost are excellent. Both main and side characters delivered their roles well. The chemistry is always off the chart. The romance is still there but the drama is more thriller and action focused. The friendship of the squad in the academy is one of my favourites. Also, the comedy got me rolling on the floor not gonna lie. AMA is absolutely amazing. Very recommended. 10/10.Was this review helpful to you?
An absolute favourite
If you are doubting whether to watch this or not don't WATCH IT NOW!!! I wasn't much impressed with the first episode because the male lead seemed like a man child and a jerk at first. Give it another 2 or 3 episodes. He is going to grow on you. Never have I ever seen such character development in any character. From doubting his integrity to becoming my most favourite male lead. Xu kai has done a phenomenal job in portraying Gu yan zhen. He was so expressive and genuine in his portrayal that I was rooting for him to have a happy ending. And the chemistry between Xu Kai and BaiLu is so strong that even with the lack of romantic scenes I could feel their bond and care for each other. I would love to watch these two pair up again. This drama had a strong supporting cast and none of them were annoying. I enjoyed the deep friendship and comradry between the characters and they had amazing chemistry as well. The casting of the drama is on point and well done. I love it so much. I can watch it anytime. This became one of my all time favourite. So good. I hope you do too. Won't regret binging again.Was this review helpful to you?
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I still miss them
When I started this drama, I was on a Bai Lu drama marathon. I had just finished watching The Legends with Bai Lu and XuKai as well. I started it and I was so hooked. I welcomed the new year alone while watching this one, no regrets.Plot:
The whole story was very very unique and interesting. It is a period drama, taking place in the 1920s as Western culture was crossing over into the traditional Chinese culture. FL joins the Arsenal Military Academy disguised as a man, under the name of her brother who had once gone there as well but had already passed away. At the academy, she meets a group of guys who sort of became her cohorts. This includes the two MLs, and their friends, as well as a very bright guy who everyone loves. It follows their story and they go through things and eventually become a tight-knit group of friends and brothers. The characters ger very involved with the Japanese mafia and government, especially in this time period. FL keeps her identity hidden the majority of the show, only her best friend and the ML knows. There is a war going on so its a lot of government and military talk. It's not a pure romance drama. There is no kiss. It's very funny at the beginning and light-hearted but as you go on, it gets more and more intense. I cried a lot. If you've been watching dramas for a while and understand the way the writers think, you can kind of guess the outcomes of some of the characters. I guessed it and it still hurt when it happened.
Cast:
I loved the cast. Everyone was so perfect for their roles and did their part so well. BaiLu and XuKai have incredible chemistry. The second male lead was also really good. For the majority of the drama, I couldn't choose who I liked more and who I shipped. One of my favorite characters is the Qu ManTing. She seems like a spoiled actress and rich girl but she stands up for herself and will fight you if you do something to her or her friends. The main villain is played so so well. She makes you hate her so much.
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Good but not good enough
I watched for xu kai. He played this character so well and was so handsome but the female lead who plays a dude is like half the size of everyone else in the military and supposedly no one notices its a girl??? Come on man 🤣 also they had many useless side stories in this show and every other scene was filled with japanese dressed in all black getting shot. I mean is there just an unlimited amount of them in the area? And somehow even though they always get killed,the next time they dont send more to make sure they win the fight they still just send a handful of them 🤣 and having everyone fall in love with the female lead is so unrealistic,to be honest she looked better as a dude yet they had like 4 guys fall in love with her 🤣🤣🤣 HAHAHA anyway i really loved xu kai in this and the supporting male lead was cool too but if i ever hear this chick say "may-sure" one more time in that voice i will self destruct 🤣🤣Was this review helpful to you?
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Lovely Cast
Such a beautiful series. Every episode is worth watching as there are no fillers. Such an interesting plot as well. The actors and actresses gave their 100% performance. Of course, Xu Kai portrayed Gu Yan Zhen in a loveable way. His acting skills are truly at its excellence! I love Xu Kai! :)Interestingly, all the characters are well developed as the story progresses. I love the camaraderies between the characters and how they love and willing to sacrifice themselves for their country.
The setting in the Republican era was well shown as the characters well well dressed, the props, and set were well prepared.
The overall story is a mixture of emotions from funny, drama, romance, and of course action.
Oh, not to mention the OST and the songs used in the series. I love the choice of songs.
Such a beautifully made series. You must take time to watch this interesting series.
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