Legend of the Female General

Don’t Buy the Hate, Legend of the Female General Is Actually a Great Cdrama

Do not believe what past reviewers said about this drama or even read the negative comments below. I honestly don’t understand the hate it’s getting. Legend of the Female General actually deserves more hype and higher ratings. Yes, there are changes in the story compared to the novel, but those were inevitable since themes like “rebirth” are often censored in China. Personally, I waited two years for this drama to air, and I was so excited that I even read the novel beforehand. The changes don’t bother me—in fact, they give me a different kind of surprise. Every episode leaves me curious about what twist or emotional moment will unfold next.

The main actors’ performances were splendid, and the production did a great job casting Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye for this drama. Their performances bring Xiao Jue and He Yan to life with authenticity, just like how Imagined them to be. The tension and chemistry between them are simply unforgettable, whether on or off camera, they shine, and I truly hope they work together again in the future. The supporting cast also deserves recognition. The actress playing Yingxiang was impressive and gave so much depth to her role; I only wish she had more screen time and backstory. Zhang Miaoyi also stood out beautifully, she’s such a gem, loved her since her cameo on FOF. Bai Shu was excellent too, though I admit it’s a little hard for me to see him outside of his usual comedic roles. Hou Chang Rou, who plays Xu Jingfu, once again proved he’s one of the best at these complex, villain-type characters. He’s an underrated supporting actor who always delivers.

Beyond the acting, the cinematography and production quality are top-notch. The battle sequences, costumes, and set designs capture the historical atmosphere with great attention to detail. The color palette and lighting enhance the emotional tone of each scene, making it visually stunning. The music is equally excellent, heightening both the action and the emotional moments—it really elevates the storytelling.

I also want to appreciate Li Qing for stepping in and replacing Li Mingde. Thanks to him, the drama was able to air at all, and the AI face swap was surprisingly convincing.

If not for a few flaws, I would have given this drama a perfect 10/10. The biggest downside was the controversy with Li Mingde, which resulted in some cut scenes that could have made the drama more entertaining—especially, the scenes he had with miaoyi! I also found the actor playing Chu Zhao to be a bit stiff, with limited expressions that made his performance feel robotic. Another point is that the drama could have included more battle scenes or romantic scenes (since there were certain scenes that were doin deleted) to balance out the pacing, especially since most episodes run only 35–40 minutes( which is kind of disappointing 😕) . A few more scenes between the main leads would have been perfect too, given their incredible chemistry( I'm a freaking shipper to these two, I watched all lf their Reuters and BTS🥺)

Overall, this drama was worth the two-year wait and the hype. Forget the low ratings, reviews, and negative comments—just watch it and judge for yourself. Legend of the Female General is a drama that deserves more appreciation, and I sincerely hope to see Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye paired as leads again soon. Moving on from them won’t be easy. ( I MIGHT ACTUALLY GO CRAZY IF THEY DON'T WORK AGAIN TOGETHER 😤)

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Ignore the negative comments

many people commented negative things about this drama but TRUST, the main character's chemistry is on top.

First and foremost, the drama is pretty entertaining, but if you're really into that general thing and wanted to see a female general who really likes one, skip it. Every drama we watch is based on our personal preferences.

I can say that the drama is indeed flawed but it still stood out. Many says that she does not look like a general at all, but that's what the original story is. She was reincarnated to week woman's body, but in the drama she was not. So they just nerfed her with near death injuries that made her weak. But after few episodes she regained her power back and can slay powerful enemies again, the drama showed her martial arts and military prowess through those scenes where they're on a war, she indeed deserve the Genereal Feihong's title.

Also, the main leads chemistry is really there, there is no misunderstanding and whatsoever. They knew what they wanted and very are decisive. They're both smart, when the king is separating them two, they do not gave up anything, yet they both understand each other's difficulties and promised to never marry anyone else except with them. They did not foolishly gave up either's militany power for marriage, but didn't also gave up their affection. (They could still be together without marriage) This is the first time I saw this logic on a drama and I love it, instead of causing so many misunderstandings, I'm glad they talked about it and settled for such a solution.

This drama was fast paced because of the very few episodes, they go right down to business. It'll be really good if the episodes we're longer or have more episodes. Tho I love the pacing because there were no boring eps and there's no filler scene/unnecessary scenes that has been made.

Anyways it's a happy ending so go and watch it, I love them so much, I'll miss this!!

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My New Favorite Drama

I loved everything about this drama. Seriously, it had the perfect mix of battle, love, and humor. The beginning episodes were my absolute favorite the banter was so funny, and the fact that he already knew she was a woman while everyone else was clueless just made it even better.

And his SMILES. Every time he smiled, especially when she was still pretending to be a man, I felt like a little girl kicking her legs under the blankets. Their love story unfolding was just perfection.

Also… their first kiss. OMG. At first I was like, what the heck is this dead fish kiss? But then it turned into the sweetest, most perfect kiss ever. I was screaming inside.

The battles were exciting, the humor had me laughing, and the romance had me swooning. She was such a strong lead, not just in fighting but in how smart and resilient she was. And he was the perfect balance loyal, teasing, protective. Together, their chemistry was everything.

This drama honestly gave me everything I want action, comedy, romance, all in one. I didn’t want it to end, and I’m already tempted to rewatch it. 10/10 recommend!

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Definitely not a Mulan like story but still not bad.

This is my first time writing a review.I usually dont write one since i dont think critically.But after watching this one i had to share my views and opinion on this drama.

First of all the story doesnt guve justice to the title of this drama "Legend Of Female General"??its more like "Legend of Chu Zhao and side characters".The story focused wayy too much on the side characters during the later episodes and it was kinda annoying.

I was really excited for this drama to release cuz I have been a big fan of both the male leads.The FL did give justice to her character though the story didnt really gave her a lot of chance to prove it.

Now it does say in the tags that its a romance+war drama...But I think they focused a lil too much on romance..Im not complaining but like cmon the story is about a female general afterall it can be more about her..

Now i did very much enjoyed the drama and really loved the ost by zhou shen.And im really glad they didnt make chu zhao as vicious as in the novel bcuz he was annoying enough in the drama...

One thing i really loved about this drama was how they symbolized their romance through moon..Like it was beautiful and the their confession scenes..it's perfect.The battles scenes were great too especially the last one.

I think the main reason people are rating low is because of how they missed to explain some parts of the story and how it was pretty unrealistic..

The actors are great but the production was just not it..they failed to deliver justice to the title of the drama..Like some of us were really excited for this drama to release but the production team messed it up....

Overall i did enjoy the drama though there were some parts which was dragging...The actors were great and they did what they had to...But the storyline messed up a lil bit...In the beginning it was really interesting but in the later episodes thing got pretty bad but still it was a good drama atleast for me...I don't think it's bad enough to be rated below 5 stars.

This is my first time writing a review and im not a critical thinker..so u may find my lines confusing..Thanks for reading my review and i hope you'll understand that it was solely written based on my pov and thoughts only<3 (cheng lei's and zhou ye's serving face card is just MWAHHHH )

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Mulan Fell In Love

Yes, this is nearly Mulan turned into series. Excellent fight scenes. FL nailed the swordsmanship, archery, martial arts...you name it...highly qualified to be a General as the title suggests. Storyplot was good not until the final three episodes which deemed to be unnecessary. I'm not a fan of both leads. Chemistry was there but it felt bland.

I am one of the viewers who watch this for the romance. Unfortunately, that point really failed for me. It was a total slow burn.
Like the MC became official with their relationship around ep.28 I think. Given the drama has 36eps. Why not make them an official couple at least halfway of the drama? Another thing are the poorly executed kisses and very minimal I must say.
Also the stir caused by Chu Zao towards the finale is obviously just a filler to extend the drama. MC should have been married earlier, I guess around ep. 32, at least have kids and ended the drama.

The only thing that held me stick to the drama till the end are the scenes between ML and SML. Their battle to win the FL gave at least a hilarious flare to the drama.

I have to commend one actor here whom I think stand out in terms of acting, and that is Bai Shu aka He Ru Fei. The scene in the prison cell showned his acting prowess.

Overall, I enjoy watching Wuxia dramas but the balance between fight scenes and romance should be at equal pace, or else, it'll be a total drag for me. For this drama, it focused on the skills of the FL as a Lady General which I must say was well executed.
Given said that, if you're into lots of fight scenes and royal politics, this drama is for you. I wouldn't recommend this for romance enthusiasts like me. The ending is just so so...not satisfying as well.

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good one time watch drama

i want to keep this simple...
firstly about plot it was taking of well with all the self improvement , revenge, ladder climbing of FL .
secondly i want to comment on ML and FL interactions , there romance , evrything was good the exprssions were 10/10 .
facecards were soo good both main ML and FL and also second ML and FL . there friends and comrades are also was an eye feast .
one thing that gets frustating was THE SO CALLED KING . some uncessary shit was there with him. soo easy to controll.
i also thought there frnd YAN HE was got killed uneccasary , okay might be having only this way to punish that sooo called second lead but cruel cunning guy CHU , but i felt sad there .
lastly... A GOOD FEMALE ORIENTED DRAMA .. WORTH THE WATCH , LOVED IT .

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She's a tactical genius, She's a woman in love

TL;DR--
Watch it for romance, chemistry, fun times and little emotional investment in politics/bloodshed

1. Plot
I have not read the novel so this was a blank slate, so to speak. In that aspect, this was pretty good. Most of it made complete sense, had logical flows and were digestible in there outlandishness.
I liked that the story was hers mostly. The ML had his own story and struggles, yes, but in the end, it was she who was most highlighted by the plot--and by the ML too! This was in-line with the drama title so I appreciate that.

2. Characterization
Huaijing has always been quiet and reserved, the tragedy at Mingshui only made it worse with bitterness in the mix. In that lens, all his actions and reactions make complete sense. And then, when the air is cleared and we see their history, his emotions and feelings make sense too.

Yan was not explored well emotionally. She had a very unique upbringing, trauma after trauma. We don't get much in terms of her coming to terms with her lot in life emotionally. It could partially be because of the actor (no hate to her but she doesn't do complex emotional depth well), it could be on the editing (perhaps the episodes were cut so it was edited out) or it could be a directorial choice.
It wasn't too bad, as you can see from my rating, but it could have been better with that.

Chu Zhao, what can I say. I hated him from his first moment on the screen and I wished him all things bad. His ending was a mercy and in my world, he lives a horrible life and dies a horrible death <3

The King, probably the stupidest one there ever has been. No wonder Wutou keeps invading, the Wei King makes it too easy. The King has never seen a selfish minister he didn't listen to, never heard harmful advice he didn't immediately implement. Xu was almost, almost, right in that last shenanigan of his.

3. The Ending
This ending was interesting. It wasn't a failure, definitely. It did fall into the trap of 'must-kill-someone-for-the-genre' and I think it did so terribly--just like Yan's emotional depth they chose to take the easy way out and kill the easiest to kill. But, we live in delululand, so I don't care much about that.
Other than that, 10/10 ending.

4. Chemistry
Whew. Guys, such chemistry. If you are here for romance, definitely watch this. If you want little and easy to watch political intrigue with heavy focus on building the main relationship, watch this. If you want to watch a second lead being put in his place, repeatedly explicitly and thoroughly? WATCH THIS. Some of the best developed lead couple relationship, in fact the main selling point of this drama is the two general's love triumphing all.

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Not Perfect, But Worth the Watch!

This drama has been one of the most anticipated ones in recent years, and the hype was honestly huge. I’ve seen a lot of people disappointed, but let me share my take.

First off, I didn’t read the novel, so everything I say is purely based on the drama. For me, the plot itself is solid. The thing is, this show already went through so many issues before it even aired. One of the supporting actors got into a scandal, was removed, and even imprisoned—so his character ended up being replaced by AI. On top of that, because the original story had a “rebirth” element (which isn’t allowed in China), the drama was supposed to have 40 episodes but was cut down to 36. That actor’s role was actually important to the leads, so losing his scenes definitely affected the overall flow.

Another point a lot of fans keep bringing up is the female lead’s appearance. People complain she looks “too feminine” to convincingly pass as a man. But honestly, this is a drama—suspension of disbelief is part of the deal. Acting and story matter more to me than just physical appearance. And compared to other dramas I’ve seen, the casting here isn’t bad at all. They didn’t go out of their way to make her look overly girly—it’s just that her features are naturally delicate.

Now about the story. I’ll admit, it does get messy at times. The title “Legend of the Female General” doesn’t exactly fit, because while He Yan’s journey to reclaim her status is central, the plot also scatters into other directions. It sometimes feels more like “two generals facing off” than her personal legend. Honestly, with how much story there is, they should’ve extended it to 50+ episodes. There are so many questions left unanswered that probably only the novel explains.

But on the positive side, I actually enjoyed it. The leads are smart, and the villains never really outplay them, which was refreshing. Both the ML and FL are equally strong, whether in strategy or in fighting.

Acting-wise, Cheng Lei—I’ve only seen him in “Journey to You,” and he feels almost the same here. Personally, I find him a bit stiff, but maybe that’s just the character. Zhou Ye, though, really delivered. Despite criticisms that she’s too petite for the role, I think she carried it well.

The fight scenes are hands down one of the best parts—very well done. The music was also on point.

Overall, this drama isn’t as bad as some make it sound. I understand where the criticisms are coming from, but for me, it’s still worth checking out.

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They debut as my 4th fave CDramaLand CP

You can tell that so much was edited and cut out but I am giving them a pass because the lead’s chemistry and communication blew me away and those fight scenes especially the last fight. I will be rewatching this a lot

My top CDramaland CPs in order:
1). Zhou Fang and Song Lin (Love Designer)
2). Smiling and Chessman (Falling into your smile)
3). Bai FengXi and Hei FengXi (Who Rules the world)
4). He Yan and Xiao Jue (Legend of the Female General)
5). Lou Na and Duan YuCheng (Falling into you)
6). Mu WanQing and Commander Tan (Fall in love)
7). MingLan and Gu Tingye (Story of MingLan)
8). Jing Jing and Yu tu (You are my Glory)
9) Wen Yifan and Sang Yan (First Frost)
10). Cong Rong and Wen ShaoQing (My little Happiness)
11). He Ran and Xiao Han (The forbidden flower)
12). Jiang Jun and Yuan Shuai (Love is sweet)

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Strong FL drama with great chemistry

He Yan is such a strong and smart heroine and I loved watching her fight for her destiny.
Zhou Ye is really charming and fun in the role, even if she’s a bit girly sometimes, she still makes He Yan likeable and relatable.
Ryan Cheng as Xiao Jue has this calm, smart vibe that balances her energy really well and I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow naturally without all the forced romance you sometimes get in these dramas.
The visuals are amazing too, the costumes, real locations and battle scenes all make the world feel alive.
Of course, it’s not perfect. Zhou Ye doesn’t always fully convince as a cross-dressing general, sometimes her playful, girly expressions make it hard to take her seriously in tough battle scenes.
Ryan Cheng is cute and charismatic but he doesn’t always have that commanding general presence,and their chemistry can feel a bit flat at times.
Some parts of the plot are a little too convenient like He Yan surviving extreme situations without much real danger and a few story shifts feel rushed or illogical.
Fans of the original novel might also be disappointed with how much was changed especially where romance was emphasized more than He Yan’s revenge story. But honestly, despite these flaws, the drama is still really fun and a bit of romance sprinkled in.

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To be a woman is to perform,

I waited more than two years for this drama, and it did not disappoint me.

First of all, the acting:
I honestly don’t think anyone other than Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei could have portrayed these characters so perfectly. From the main leads to the extras, everything was on point, and it was such a satisfying experience to watch.
My only wish is that they had used Zhou Ye’s real voice in some scenes, especially the one where she had a fight with Chu Zhao in front of the court. Her natural voice while acting is so powerful; it gave me chills.

The production:
It wasn’t the most high-end production, obviously, but there wasn’t a single bad shot either. Personally, good production quality is very important to me, and sometimes I watch a drama just for its production value. For this drama, I can’t really say that, it wasn’t bad at all, but there were moments where I felt certain things were lacking. I truly believe they could have made it even better. Still, overall, the production and cinematography were good, not the best, but definitely solid.
That being said, I can confidently say that 90% of the budget went into the war scenes, and you can tell. Those scenes were where the drama truly shined and felt absolutely epic. They were so well done and truly deserving of praise, i watched some of them multiple times because they were just that stunning.

The story:
From what I know, many people were disappointed because the drama didn’t explore He Yan’s backstory and the hardships she went through to become a general. As someone who hasn’t read the novel and only followed the drama, I was satisfied. I think the pacing was smooth and calm. That said, I agree that adding more depth to those parts would have made the story even better.
I can’t blame the writers or the director for this, though. The 40-episode limit for adapting long Chinese novels is honestly such a big issue. You simply can’t condense thousands of chapters into forty 40-minute episodes. I’m glad this limitation is being lifted now so we can get better storytelling and higher-quality dramas in the future.
As for people saying He Yan’s behavior and words were “cringe,” I completely disagree. As a woman living in a patriarchal society, someone who has fought a real gender war for equality with my own life on the line, her words felt authentic to me, not cringey at all. I deeply related to her struggles.
Overall, I liked the way the story unfolded. Even though I didn’t read the novel, based on what others said, I also feel like focusing more on He Yan’s hardships would have made it even more powerful, but again, 40 episodes don’t allow much room for that.

Overall:
I’m just so happy this drama finally aired and I got to watch it. I really loved it and I definitely recommend it to everyone. The story was beautiful, and the dialogues were written so well. When that line came:
“Do you still like the moon?”
“Yes.”
“Then the moon is yours now.”
I was literally screaming from happiness.
He Yan was truly a strong woman, and I love seeing female-led dramas with characters like her. These kinds of stories heal something inside me that I didn’t even know existed.

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