Legend of the Female General

Enjoyable with some suspension of disbelief

There are so many things that don’t make sense in this show, I won’t bother calling them all out. Enjoying this show for sure requires some suspension of disbelief. But why not just take it easy, give up on logic, and try to enjoy it?

The main thing I had to get over was the FL’s characterization, which honestly gave me some cognitive dissonance. With her background, you’d expect He Yan to be dark and angry. But NOPE! She is somehow bubbly, bright, and down-to-earth, constantly babbling her way out of trouble. For a moment I wondered if it was just Zhou Ye doing what she does best, but I don’t think the actress has that much agency.

He Yan really has no business being so spunky and cheerful, even as an act or pretense. And yet, despite my confusion, I still very much enjoyed watching her. I really like a down-to-earth FL. Just some of her expressions alone made me laugh out loud. And there were many situations that seemed about to get dramatic and sappy, but she defused it with some ridiculous comment. It’s great.

At the same time, she’s also smart, quick-witted, brave, morally upright, and after some hard work, incredibly skilled at combat (classic Cdrama where overtraining somehow works).

It’s not realistic, and the badass and endearing parts of her character aren’t blended well. But it happens to be a combination I really like, so after mentally compartmentalizing my confusion and setting it aside, I found her very enjoyable to watch.

The ML is Xiao Jue, a slowly melting ice cube with whom the FL shares a touching history. He starts out so angry, I enjoyed watching him get softer as He Yan rubs off on him. Their interactions are cute, and their relationship develops well- assisted by drama tropes, it's still not too sudden or too easy, and has some good banter along the way. I liked the romance in this one.

And then there is Chu Zhao. For a while I was wondering where they were going with him, since he seems to have streaks of both darkness and light. He is an interesting character for sure, but I was pretty much worried about/for him the entire show, and not sure I liked that.

There are some pretty great supporting characters, like the FL’s band of army friends, and the two doctors. It’s nice to see other strong female characters, rather than the FL just being an anomaly. These lovable support characters get a lot of screentime earlier in but fall away afterwards, almost to cameo level. It’s really too bad- I wish they’d continued to develop them.

As for the villains, there are some easy-to-hate antagonists that let us root for our leads without complication, at least for most of the show.

Plot-wise, there is a good amount of fluff as He Yan is climbing her career ladder in the army. Again, not what I expected, but solidly enjoyable.

At a certain point, it gets more serious. The fun part of He Yan’s character fades away, and only the badass remains. She’s finally acting like a general. Even though this is finally the character I expected, I still found it less fun to watch.

As the leads tackle their main conflict, there is a lot less challenge than I expected. The cartoon villains are no match for them. I still liked watching them succeed, but I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as the earlier fluff.

And then. I was wondering why everything was resolved with still 4 episodes remaining. Surely they wouldn’t throw some random, rushed, and poorly conceived last-minute drama at us, right?

…of course they did. There are a number of pieces to this last story arc and I found almost all of it stupid. Sometimes if I find a show’s ending dumb enough, I’ll just pretend it didn’t happen, but in this case I think it would have been too easy for the leads otherwise. So I guess, all I can say is: weak ending.

As an aside, this show also has a weird streak of female empowerment. Now, I love female empowerment, I agree with everything she says, and it’s so great- and all too rare in these shows- that a woman who’s broken through, thinks to look back and try to lift up others.

But it just doesn’t quite fit. Not just because it’s an anachronism, but also because it isn’t properly developed as a theme. It almost feels like they’re just missing a few lines here or there tying it all together and explaining why this is a meaningful topic for our FL.

Acting-wise, Zhou Ye excels at outgoing and down-to-earth characters. Cognitive dissonance aside, I very much liked her cute and lovable He Yan. Her badass and authoritative He Yan was a little less convincing to me. Cheng Lei did a pretty good job as a melting ice cube and I thought side actors were fine, even the AI face (Cheng Lisu). Zhang Kangle did a good job as Chu Zhao, showing both darkness and light, but… sometimes talked a little too slowly for my patience.

The fight choreography is really flashy. It’s more spins than solid blows, but very creative, lots of interesting moves. Technique seems fine, though it’s hard to tell between all those spins. I haven’t seen Zhou Ye fight before, and trying not to be biased (because I like her, and also don’t think of her as a fighter), I thought she did a good job. They went a little bit overboard at times, though… especially the very last battle, now wtf was that? This is a battleground, not a dance hall.

Finally, I know there are a lot of complaints and hate for this show out there. I think it suffered from too much hype and too high expectations, as well as comparisons with the novel. From what I read, I can very much believe that the show doesn’t quite do the novel justice. Having a real rebirth would already smooth out the plot and remove one subset of nonsense. Unfortunately, rebirth is banned for dramas, so they had to fudge around it.

However, judging the show for what it is rather than what it isn’t, I still liked it. Weak ending aside, massive and constant plot holes aside, not being what I expected aside, I still very much enjoyed its soft, fluffy interior, and had fun watching it.

Edit: I’ve read the webnovel now, I loved it and recommend. With He Yan’s inner monologue and the author’s snarky commentary, her personality makes a lot more sense. Gender issues / female empowerment are also a lot better done. Between novel and drama they changed quite a few plot points, so I think one would not spoil the other, but I’d recommend drama first.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





It’s a happy ending, but one of the worse I’ve seen. The leads get married and their careers remain intact, but we don’t find out what happens to anyone afterwards.

I was afraid they would kill off some of the lovable side characters, but the emotional impact sacrificial deaths are pretty much limited to Yingxiang (Chu Zhao’s underappreciated maid) and Yan He (their general friend). Both of these deaths are lame, unconvincing, very abrupt (or was that my 1.5X speed?), and also things people wouldn’t normally die from.

MORE MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD





I honestly think the last three episodes are really dumb. Chu Zhao, no matter how much the actor tried to sell his mental breakdown, is still way too smart to think that what he did was a good idea. Xiao Jue, despite being so supportive of the FL, doesn’t even consult her about their future together. The emperor, who has been dumb the entire show- nice one minute and horrible the next- once again shows that he’s all too easily manipulated. These three idiots decide to make the FL’s decisions for her.

But it’s so poorly conceived, the entire plot just yoyos back and forth, backtracking on itself and hopping around.

And then the final climactic battle is just too cheesy and over-the-top… she literally rides in on a white horse to perform a choreographed battle dance with him.

I was particularly unsatisfied by how Chu Zhao’s story resolved. They don’t really show him at the end- we get no insight into what happened, whether he turned himself in, how he felt about his fate, etc. For somebody whose mental state has played a decent role in the story, it’s really anticlimactic.

I mean, I know this entire show is fueled on plot holes, so there’s no point picking at a few towards the end. I’m just doing it because I didn’t like the ending. The plot holes in this show really just provide too easy fodder when you want to criticize it.

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It's not just about a crossdressing female, it's more than that.

As a girly who read the novel, it was justified but there's some scenes that I wished they showed it in the drama. Nevertheless, it was really good to the point that I had a c-drama slump after watching this 😭

I love how He Yan never deviated to her goal, to reclaim her rightful place and establish who she really is. Not just her being He Rufei, but her being He Yan and can do whatever a man can do, and the best at it at that. Xiao Jue? THAT GUY IS ON TOP BECAUSE WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE RESPECTS HER, VALUE HER, AND WON'T LET ANYONE SLANDER HER? SHE GRACES HIS EYES, OCCUPIES HIS MIND, AND CLAIMS HIS HEART? AHHHHHHHH GIRLLL HE YEARNS 😩😩😩

The actors? I LOVE THEIR CHEMISTRY ON AND OFF SCREEN THEY'RE SO ADORABLE!!!

THE MUSIC? GIRL DENG SHIN YUE DAW YING NI SHIN CHE FAN HUWA LUWO MEY YANNN (I'm sorry I don't speak chinese but I love the song please bear with me) ✨✨✨

Will definitely re-watch for my sanity 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

PS. There's so much more in the novel that I can't explain huhu you definitely need to read it!!!

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A drama that fails it own name.

I haven’t read the original novel, so I can only judge the drama on its own, but honestly, Legend of Female General turned out to be quite disappointing. For a drama with such a grand title, I expected a powerful, layered story with strong characters and a sense of epic scale. Instead, what I got was shallow characterization and weak writing that failed to make me care about either the leads or their supposed romance.
One of the biggest problems for me is the lack of realism and consistency in how the female lead is portrayed. From the very beginning, we’re asked to believe that everyone in the military camp sees her as a man, yet she is presented as completely feminine, her appearance, her demeanor, even her voice leaves no doubt that she’s a woman. The suspension of disbelief might work if the story and her performance compensated for it, but unfortunately, that never happens.

What makes it even more frustrating is how her personality is written. This is supposed to be a woman who was nearly killed by her own family, who returns to the military camp driven by vengeance and determination to reclaim what she lost. With such a backstory, I expected to see a character full of intensity, inner strength, and resilience. Instead, she often comes across as playful and even flirty with the male lead. Her behavior simply doesn’t match the weight of her past, and as a result, she feels more like a romantic heroine in a light comedy than the legendary general the title promises.The male lead doesn’t help the situation either.
His character is flat and underdeveloped showing the same facial expression through most of the show.
He never conveys the kind of depth or charisma that could balance out the female lead’s shortcomings.
Together, their romance falls completely flat, shallow and unconvincing. There’s no chemistry, no emotional buildup, nothing that makes me want to root for them. Instead of creating tension, passion, or a meaningful connection, their interactions feel repetitive and uninspired.

The story lacks the epic tone I was hoping for. A drama with this title should have been bold and inspiring with the female lead written as someone truly legendary, strategic, commanding, emotionally complex, and able to carry the weight of the narrative. Sadly, none of that comes across. There is nothing in her characterization that feels legendary enough to justify the story’s premise or make me believe in her journey.
In the end, Legend of Female General fails to live up to its name. It’s not that the idea lacked potential, on the contrary, the premise could have been amazing. But the weak script, shallow characters, and lackluster romance left me feeling underwhelmed. Instead of being an epic, memorable drama, it’s just another forgettable series that wasted its potential.

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When the splendid moon sings

He Yan dons a mask and assumes the identity of the eldest son of the He family, taking the place of her frail and seemingly dying stepbrother, He Rufei, to safeguard the family’s inheritable noble title. Trapped in this false identity and desperate to escape an arranged marriage to another woman, she chooses the battlefield instead. Years later, she returns as a celebrated war hero and is personally rewarded by the Emperor with the title of General Feihong. Glory, however, proves short-lived. Her stepbrother recovers, covets her achievements, and conspires with their father to steal her title and rewards, leaving her blinded and presumed dead.

Against all odds, He Yan survives. With the help of her former tutor, she gradually recovers her sight and reinvents herself once again, this time joining the Xiao Army under an assumed name. The army is led by Xiao Jue, her former classmate, who fails to recognise her without the mask. Still, he quickly grows suspicious. Her military skills far exceed those of a new recruit, and his doubts deepen when he discovers that she is a woman. Yet, ability speaks louder than gender, and He Yan proves her worth repeatedly on the battlefield.

In Yezhou, she befriends Chu Zhao, a gentle and refined scholar who is also a student of the Chancellor, a political adversary of Xiao Jue. Friend or foe, Chu Zhao occupies a precarious position in the larger struggle. As life-and-death experiences bind the trio together, both Xiao Jue and Chu Zhao fall in love with He Yan. The question then becomes not only who will win her heart, but who will survive the ruthless game of power surrounding them.

Despite the generally positive reviews, it took me a long time before I finally started watching this drama. The English drama title initially reminded me too strongly of Mulan, a name that has become almost synonymous with the trope of a woman disguising herself as a man to go to war. Mulan herself is a fictional figure, and I have little interest in yet another retelling of that story; I have watched more than enough variations already.

Ancient Chinese history offers few documented examples of outstanding female generals and none had disguised as a man. For a delicate woman to pass off as a man for prolong period, it needs her comrades to have vision problem and the premise stretches realism. Furthermore, cross-dressing heroines are an extremely overused trope in historical dramas.

That said, once I finally began watching, I found the drama surprisingly entertaining. It ticks all the essential boxes: attractive leads, strong performances, exquisite costumes, evocative theme music, polished cinematography, and impressive CGI. The story itself is engaging and filled with suspense. There is little mystery regarding the villains, as their identities are obvious from the outset. Instead, the appeal lies in watching the battle of wits unfold and holding one’s breath to see which side key characters will ultimately choose.

What truly stood out for me was the second male lead, portrayed by Zhang Kang Le. Although he has appeared in dramas I have watched before, this was the first time he truly caught my attention. He delivers a convincing performance as a pivotal character whose choices can tip the balance between victory and defeat. Torn between following the corrupt path of his tutor or adhering to his own moral compass, his internal struggle adds considerable depth to the narrative. I do, however, lament how harshly the drama treats him in the end. After all his efforts to live an upright and principled life, he deserved a more compassionate resolution. While he does make a grave mistake later in the story, he already pays dearly through emotional loss and a deeply fractured love life. The emperor should not blame him for his own error in decision which is the consequence of his own suspicion and mistrust of his generals.

In most dramas built around a love triangle, the suspense is often squandered far too early. The endgame pairing is telegraphed either through the narrative itself or, worse, through trailers and promotional material. What could have been a delicious source of tension instead becomes a foregone conclusion. Sadly, this drama falls into the same trap. The writers could easily have made He Yan’s choice far less obvious, allowing viewers to genuinely speculate about where her heart would land. After all, Xiao Jue treats her abysmally for much of the story, while Chu Zhao makes no secret of his efforts to court her with patience, warmth, and respect. A little narrative misdirection here would have elevated the emotional stakes considerably and made the romantic arc far more compelling.

Finally, I must comment on the English translation of the drama’s title. It is uninspired, unimaginative, and painfully mundane. In fact, it was the main reason I delayed watching the series in the first place. A more poetic title, something along the lines of 'When the Splendid Moon Sings', much nearer to the Chinese title, would have better captured the spirit of the story and perhaps enticed viewers sooner.

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Strong premise & buildup ruined by the uncalled-for Climax | Agonizing blindspot crossdressing trope

"When above others, treat them as equals. When below others, maintain your integrity." - Yin Xiang (Chu Zhao's Maid)

First off, this is actually my second attempt at this drama. During my first try, the cliché opening scene made me drop it immediately. Now that I have mustered enough mental stability and patience to finally give it another shot, I have to admit it’s not bad at all. In fact, it is an entertaining show. You just really have to feign ignorance and act convinced by the 'obviously a girl but somehow fooling the entire army' trope they're trying to establish and you will be fine—which can truly be challenging for people who despise such illogical, cliché plots.

I honestly don't want to dwell too much on the negative aspects of the story. Instead, I want to write a genuine review by avoiding sarcastic and shady remarks, and the only way I can do that is by addressing the elephant in the room firsthand. So, let me start this review by saying that the major flaw of this story—one that baffled me and stuck with me throughout the entire first half—remained the "renowned female general disguised as a man who was never discovered despite obviously looking like a woman" trope. It was just not convincing at all, no matter how hard I tried to force myself to believe it.

The FL (He Ru Fei/He Yan) was short and slim—a true embodiment of a woman from her childhood until her adulthood. So, I cannot wrap my head around the logic that her classmates, and more so the ML (Xiao Jue) who knew her and interacted with her since her teenage years, failed to notice and/or see through her disguise at all—with or without her full-face mask on. What's even more flabbergasting is how he didn't notice her being a woman, or recognize her as He Ru Fei, when she joined the army as He Yan without her mask. I just find it ridiculously impossible that Xiao Jue failed to recognize He Yan's uncanny resemblance to He Ru Fei, given their history together, her height, physique, build, voice, and other similar factors—especially since she never deliberately attempted to change her pitch, gestures, or movements at all. I think it's utterly stupid and absurd how it took them so long to catch on to her act of deception when the similarities were as clear as day. Are they really that dumb and dense? I have long accepted that masks can be a huge factor in Chinese costume dramas, but I just can't fathom how, even without them, they are getting deceived. Ghad!

In conclusion, The Female General title would have been perfectly fine, if only they didn't ask the audience to swallow the unbelievable and unconvincing fact that no one noticed He Ru Fei/He Yan was a woman all along. *Sighs*

The storytelling during the first 32 episodes was completely entertaining. It was fast-paced and highly compelling. My prejudice against the show was gradually vanishing with every passing episode. At one point, I even regretted not watching it through to the end on my first attempt. One reason I could think of for this is that they didn't waste much time re-telling or looking back at the past of the main leads together. Instead, they dedicated a 30-second to 1-minute time span—right after the opening theme—for roughly 3 to 5 episodes to show us a brief recollection of their past. This gave us enough general knowledge of how their relationship was formed without wasting a huge amount of time on flashbacks. It was such a clever and efficient idea that saved plenty of time, piqued my interest, and made me more invested in how their romantic relationship would bloom in the current timeline.

One instance that completely threw me off during the first 32 episodes occurs in Episode 26, right around the 21-minute mark, when He Yan panics while looking for Xiao Jue in the middle of a battle, thinking he is gravely injured or, worse, killed. It honestly would have been a fine, natural reaction—if only she hadn't gone frantic, shouting and running around. Like, girl? You can't seriously be having a mental breakdown, lowering your guard in the middle of a freaking war, aren't you? If Xiao Jue hadn't survived and saved her, she most certainly would have been killed.

While this trope is incredibly common in dramas, this was truly one of those moments that made me roll my eyes and scoff at how ridiculously absurd the scene was. She's a general with hundreds, if not thousands, of people under her command, for Pete's sake! She shouldn't be letting her guard down and making herself completely vulnerable in the middle of a battle, especially since the enemies haven't been fully defeated yet. Ugh! At least in other dramas I've watched that utilized this trope used a character's "death" as great motivation, fueling their will and tenacity, compared to how she immediately became a damsel in distress open to assault. *Facepalm*

I should also mention that although I found the filler episodes unnecessary at first, it was only as the story progressed and reached the climax that I understood why they were included. They give us crucial background information about what transpired in the past so we don't get lost when the narrative shifts back to the main conflict. That way, we aren't left wondering where the hatred and grievances came from and how it all started.

Finally! Let me talk about the rather disappointing ending that disturbed and sullied the trajectory of the story's otherwise seamless flow for me.

Although the main conflict wrapped up sooner than expected, it was actually brilliantly executed. It concluded satisfyingly through the main leads' well-crafted plan of convicting the main antagonists (Xu Jingfu & He Ruifei) of their crimes by using their own scheme against them.

What truly bothers me is the realization that the main conflict ended four episodes ahead of the drama's conclusion—in episode 32. At that point, I was contemplating whether to feel disappointed that the main conflict ended ahead of the show's actual finale, or grateful that they wrapped it up early, which would theoretically allow us to enjoy some relationship progression and the casual, day-to-day trivialities of the main leads and supporting characters. However, that feeling of confusion and contemplation completely vanished when they started bombarding us with uncalled-for tragedies (Yan He 😭) and extremely late, unnecessary conflicts in the main leads' relationship. It felt like it was done for one specific reason: to eliminate Chu Zhao and have him disappear completely.

If they wanted to bring down Chu Zhao so badly, wouldn't it have been much more reasonable to do it much earlier? I understand that they wanted to show us how madly deluded and crazily in love he is. But wouldn't it be more satisfying if he was convicted sooner for his collusion with and crimes alongside the Prime Minister, rather than the crime he was actually convicted for—which was just sowing discord and creating suspicion in the Emperor's mind? What's more infuriating is how he got such a light punishment after all the tragedy and casualties he caused. It was maddening how, at the end, he was only dismissed, barred from ever being reinstated, and banished never to return. When he clearly deserved execution for all the lives lost because of his schemes! *Throws hands up in frustration*

The climax to ending was truly anticlimactic! I don't know why they couldn't just allow the story to end happily by omitting the tragedies, especially when they easily could have done so. It seems to me that the writers fell into the classic trap of dragging out a conflict for cheap, late-stage drama, completely sacrificing a satisfying conclusion just to force a more "dramatic" ending—which turned out horribly.

This drama really should have ended at episode 32 or 33, as all the conflict they fabricated in the last 3-4 episodes could have been left up to the viewers' imagination. It brought nothing positive to the narrative; it only ruined the perfect impression we had of Xiao Jue's strong, unwavering devotion to He Yan and stripped Yan He of the highly anticipated—and what should have been a greatly celebrated—meeting with his firstborn. I'm still mad that they deprived him of seeing, carrying, and embracing his child because they suddenly decided to kill him. I'm still mourning his death. He was such an adorable character and is my absolute favorite in this show. Good grief!

Additionally, I've realized that no matter what, the Emperor will walk away unscathed—like he was never associated with, or part of, any problem he took part in. What a privilege. lol

P.S. In Episode 28, around the 30:20 minute mark, when the Xiao family was having dinner, Xiao Jue served He Yan the 'Mushroom and Chicken Stew'—acting all caring, attentive, and mushy. I just knew his brother was thinking, 'What gay shit is this?' because he had introduced her as a guy friend, yet was acting all whipped! Haha!

"Since you're already at rock bottom, every step you take next, will be upwards." - Xiao Jue

Story - 8.0, This easily could have been a 9.0 if they hadn't ruined the last 3-4 episodes with uncalled-for conflict and tragedy, which only smeared the show's otherwise smooth run. I already overlooked the "obviously a girl but somehow fooling the entire army" trope and bore through the absurd, sudden "damsel in distress" scene in episode 26. However, I can no longer turn a blind eye to the blatant and stupid execution of the climax.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I like the cast, and their performances are truly impressive. However, I feel that some of the actors do not fit their roles perfectly. A couple of good examples are Bai Shu as He Ru Fei. While he executed his vile and ruthless character very well, it is hard to shake my overall impression of him as a naturally goofy and mischievous person. Similarly, Zhou Ye as He Yan is fine, but her physical frame is simply not entirely convincing for the Female General role. Although her exceptional acting, partnered with her radiant and cheerful persona, naturally masks her inadequacies—convincing the people around her that everything is alright and overshadowing her physical stature—seeing her side-by-side with the male actors still makes me shake my head.

Music - 10, I love every single song featured in this drama. In fact, I'm listening to the entire OST on Spotify as I write this review. Looking at the tracklist, I realize it's impossible to give the music anything less than a perfect score.

Rewatch Value - 7.0, The show was truly enjoyable! However, I don't think I can tolerate watching that mood-killer climax a second time, or force myself to buy into the cross-dressing disguise plot again.

Overall - 8.0, Sometimes, I hate the fact that I am too tolerant and considerate, as it becomes a factor that makes me go easy on providing a just review for anything I evaluate. However, for this drama, I think this rating is just right. The climax may have been totally disappointing, but my experience watching this show was still considerably great.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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Hype does not live up to the the acting & title

Characters seems to be focused on just 4 characters throughout.
No development excitement.

Disappointed that the hype around weibo & statistics has given me a high expectations but the acting was not on par.
Zhou Ye cheeky smile & the way she looked at her partner feels similar to previous drama she acted while Cheng Lei is just a Character with 1 type of expression - Cold & Calm < Seen too much similar type in traditional costume drama.

In my opinion Zhou Ye is still too early for Zhou Ye to take up Legend of Female General. She is still new and feels like she is not mature yet in her acting.
If it was to be replaced by Chen Lijun, I feel that it will match up to the title. She is famous for acting as a male in Yue Opera and her eyes are much more charming.

This show is pretty ok to watch just that there are too many scenes in each episodes that would dragged for at least 10-30s long. Not too sure if they are trying to drag each episode to fulfil at least 36 episodes. More over, each episode is about 30minutes long minus the intro and credits. Feels kind of short to comparing to others hit dramas 40-60 minutes long. If they were to increase to the standard timings this drama should be around 24 episodes only.

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I love Warrior Women!

:: Starts off with Xena Warrior Princess Battle Cry . . . but sounding more like a wild turkey::

I enjoyed Legend of the Female General because I can never get enough of lady warriors. I also loved the story of regaining all achieved and lost due to betrayals. I really appreciated the restarting from scratch that He Yan did not because she need to prove anything but because she could and wanted stand up for others.
The Lead couple relationship. I loved the band of brothers relationship He Yan had with Xiao Jue as well as the others in ratpack. I especially adored the build up of trust between FL and ML, the brotherhood, and then the love. I just really can not say how much I love a relationship that develops based on more than insta-love and passion . . . don't get me wrong there is lots of passion in ML's eyes. I'm still melting.
I do feel the story could have stopped at ep 33 (hence the 9.5). Alas, I watched the entire drama and I do understand what came about. Just not necessarily the catalyst that cause the issues of ep 34-36.
The battle scenes were great. :: More TurkeyGirl BattleCry :: I can not get enough of female warriors. So I loved this drama as I will most certainly love future fighting ladies.

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Amazing production and ost!

If you like the legend of Mulan then this is your show. A more elaborate, good vs evil story centered around a female- very skillful- warrior. Lots of action(with eye captivating battle scenes), romance, drama and comedic moments. The main couple has the right chemistry that gets you hooked immediately. The male protagonist is hotter than hell too. Production is extraordinary from every aspect and the ost is so good I wouldn't mind buy the album if it exists. The only negative is that in the last few episodes the story felt rushed. Most episodes have around 35 minutes in duration, so don't feel intimidated by the amount of them.

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What if Joan of Arc were Chinese?

This is exactly how Mulan should have been told.

From the very beginning, the tension between the two leads sets up the story beautifully. The drama strikes a fine balance—adding layers of intensity without ever overwhelming the viewer. It’s never easy to convince an audience that a woman can believably take on a male role (with perhaps Barbra Streisand in Yentl being the rare exception). But Zhou Ye achieves it brilliantly, not by disguising herself to look like a man, but by embodying strength and commanding presence through her actions.

Ryan Chang, as the stoic general, delivers a remarkable performance—subtle, restrained, almost devoid of emotion, yet capable of softening when he is with Zhou Ye.

The fight choreography is nothing short of breathtaking—a martial arts ballet performed with precision and grace. The musical score deserves equal praise, heightening both the tension and the tender moments.

What truly elevates the series is the evolving love story. The chemistry between the leads feels genuine and compelling, keeping you invested from start to finish. The drama is paced just right—long enough to let both the plot and the characters’ growth unfold naturally, but never dragging.

At its heart, this series is about more than a warrior’s courage—it’s a celebration of women’s strength, love and determination. As the song goes, “I am woman, hear me roar.”

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INCREDIBLE FIGHT SCENES & AMAZING CHEMISTRY BETWEEN ZY & CL!!! GRIPPING STORY WORTH REWATCHING

I love historical wuxia Cdramas and this is one of the best I've seen! 😍 could not wait for the new episodes and so would check here for news and spoilers to ease my impatience. Really enjoyed the entire series, even if there were some dull moments & plot holes.

WHAT I LOVED:
-Obviously, all the fight scenes (episode 12 was shockingly good!)
-Chemistry between ML & FL
-Acting of ML & FL (I love CL from MJTY and was amazing here but ZY played her part of female general so well, her story very believable)
-Amazing scenes like confession in Jinyang, the moon scene with the pouch, LiKuang recognizing He Yan as He Rufei after receiving her note, etc.
-Episodes leading up to Jinyang arc, esp. the competitions and friendships gained
-the outfits!
-CL was amazing yet again !!!

WHAT COULD BE BETTER:
-Editing & flow was kinda uneven but I heard they had so many issues, like 40 episode maximum and replacing/deleting scenes for Cheng Lisu character
-Too much time spent on He Yan's shifu's story
-He Rufei's acting (too exaggerated, like comedy)
-Biggest plot hole was how He Yan didn't recognize Cheng Lisu at Yezhou even though they went to school together!
-Music was not memorable & sadly the music could not elevate the story (compare for ex. with the Double)

There's a lot of hate for Chu Zhao but the story needed a villain and he did a good job playing a morally gray bad guy who really messed up and lost everything & everyone at the end. First time I see this actor and heard he'll be in Rebirth with the amazing LYR so hopefully he'll get a better break there with more fan love!

9/10 and definitely worth rewatching for the EPIC moments!

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