Legend of the Female General

Keep your expectations low and stay for the main couple.

Legend of the Female General was one of my most anticipated cdramas- I waited around a year for this drama... So, as you can imagine, my expectations were very high (despite not reading the novel before). I'm someone who enjoys dramas with a strong fl so that's why I waited so long, watching each episode whenever it comes out etc.

Now the review:

There were definitely a lot of plot holes, and unnecessary deaths that could've very much been avoided. But other than that, I would say that its a pretty good drama(?)- I'm not about to take off points just because of a few characters and plot lines.

The war/battle scenes were good but I am a teeny tiny bit disappointed. I would've preferred more quality and less quantity.

Can't believe it was possible for me to hate a character this much but Chu Zhao pissed me off until the very last episode... He Rufei and Xu Jing Fu didn't even make me this mad. Chu Zhao's appearance was so much more frequent that the main couple and it was so annoying lol. There was way too much focus on his character, background, and just anything he was doing. It felt like they were just trying to fill up time and using him to add (unnecessary) drama. His appearances just caused too much disturbance and messed up the flow of the plot a lot. Anyways, I would say the villains lacked depth and it was pretty messy since something would happen and eventually during the "revenge" (ig) they would just be thrown to jail or die- which is pretty underwhelming. They were very 2D and not convincing as a real "villain" ig.

I wish there was more to the ending. I binged the six episodes that came out today and I was shocked to see how much of it was just with the Emperor and in battles. The wedding and all was okay like I understand it was a hurdle for them since it wasn't approved but I just hoped there was a tiny bit more after or just anything. It took them too long to be officially together, and since I really enjoyed this couple, I was a bit let down by the ending.

Despite all the negative things I said, I would still give it a 9.5 since I still found it really enjoyable. The drama had my full attention and had me waiting for the new episodes every day. Makes me kind of sad that it's over tbh. If you're thinking of watching, I would say: keep your expectations low and stay for the main couple.

Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei had great chemistry and I really enjoyed them together for this drama. Hopefully they have another one together soon. Both their acting was superb. I couldn't imagine anyone else as Xiao Jue and He Yan.

Read More

Deus Ex Machina

The hype around this drama caught around my ankles and dragged me in... unfortunately I can't say any of that was worth it. Promotions insist grit, blood, perseverance and instead it is pretty faces and ease. Let me explain.

I haven't watched much, and am wondering why that is. I know this drama isn't getting any better, and that's because the first few episodes were really not that admirable. A first episode of a drama, the first handful even, are supposed to hook. Usually with Chinese Dramas they push the budget and fine tune things so they are near perfect to watch. Some dramas have catfished me with this tactic, here.. it is honestly a bit appalling how little it did to hook.

With the premiere, the first episodes did what they should and shouldn't. What's important is to introduce characters, their story, what the goal is or should be... even with stories with multiple arcs- just give something. Here that is done, but it is incredibly rushed. The Female General is already the female general, and that is taken away. The way that is taken away from her is so rushed and happens in one episode, less than even. So with that, it has the audience distant. As a viewer, I'm not pulled into her story. Her motivation makes sense, but I find it bland. She had her master of hers revive her when she was literally pushed off a cliff. So she didn't die- and that makes me thinking that she can't die. Anything that happens to her in the story has no weight because of this setup. A lead who survives getting stabbed, falling from a cliff, etc.. right within the first half hour?! She gets attacked by wolves later and acts like she is dying, but as a viewer it is just wasting my time because I know she isn't. I can't say enough how bad of a decision it was to just revive this girl instead of the rebirth..

And I know that rebirth with chinese dramas can't be done these days. Still. There are ways to have a 'comeback' without it being handed on a silver platter. Her adversities do little to hurt her, and she wants to reclaim her place as general. Why though? Why was that so great for her? Why did she like it? Show this somewhere in the drama with storytelling... the flashbacks aren't even put into the story thoughtfully, it is just a little scene at the beginning. It is becoming aparent how little this drama is trying. Is it rushed? I don't know. I can't even say that the FL is looking for vengeance because she isn't, there is no fire in her eyes.. she isn't intense at all.

I don't want to make this too long but with that all being said. This drama isn't that good. It is very basic. The only thing it has that is cool is the Female General. Which is very very hard to buy into with all the plot holes. I see everything that is going to happen so I don't feel the need to watch. What is cool is the promotions and the idea, the execution is not. The chemistry is not, the acting is not, the editing it not, all of it is just very surface level. What you see isn't even what you get, which is disappointing.

It is too bad. I am too tired to explain more of why I feel this way towards the drama, but there's a lot to it... it's full of tropes and cheap writing that makes me feel stupid for watching imsosorry...

Read More

Another hit for this summer!

What can I say? This was phenomenal. I am still in shock because it’s been years since I watched so many good historical dramas in a row (for me “Prisoner of Beauty”, “First Night with the Duke”, “Coroner’s Diary”, now this).

“Legend of the Female General” lives up to its name. Do you have to let the suspension of disbelief kick in for them to think she’s a man? Heck yes. But honestly, I got used to it. I’m a big Mulan fan so this was so down my alley. This show has a stellar cast, excellent production quality, and great writing.

He Yan and Xiao Jue are a couple for the ages. They go up in the same league as the Dou Zhao/Song Mo couple and Qiao Man/Wei Shao couple (“Blossom” and “Prisoner of Beauty” respectively). Their chemistry is on point and their fierce determination to fight for each other is beautiful. Even when misunderstandings threaten them, they resolve it quickly and are stronger than ever. The kiss scenes were well done so I would have liked to see more of them, but, for once, I didn’t mind the slow burn. It felt natural and captivating to watch.

Don’t get me started on some of the most beautifully executed battle scenes I’ve seen in a long time.

This makes three dramas to make my all time favorite list in the last five months—which has never happened. Don’t sleep on this one. Cheng Lei, Zhou Ye, and the rest of the cast delivered a masterpiece.

Read More

“Your pains resonate within me... Because of you, I chose to believe.”

General Feihong and General Fengyun are the talented, loyal "Twin Stars" destined to protect the borders of the Wei Kingdom. But beneath the armour, they lead two different lives. He Yan is forced to put on the "cold mask" that "smothered" her identity and masquerade as the male heir in place of her ailing stepbrother to gain prestige for the He family, only to be betrayed and hunted mercilessly. On the other hand, Xiao Jue bears the weight of rebuilding his family's military reputation after being embroiled in palace politics and losing both of his parents. Yet it's their shared righteousness, unwavering trust and mutual respect for each other that allowed them to weather the storms and become an inseparable duo both on the battlefield and in life.

What drew me into this drama is the perfect balance between the female and male leads. He Yan is such a powerful female general that she not only wins people over with her phenomenal fighting skills and military tactics, but also with her wit and charm. She's ruthless on the battlefield, yet empathetic and devoted to those whom she vows to protect. Zhou Ye displayed a fantastic duality as He Yan that still amazes me with every rewatch. She can be lethal in one moment as the strong and confident General Feihong, then turn into the happy-go-lucky He Yan with her Dudu in the next moment. It's an unexpected, yet much-welcomed twist from her last role as the timid and sweetheart Sheng Sheng Man from Love Me, Love My Voice, whom I also adore. Xiao Jue is commanding and enigmatic, but he sometimes also looks as if he's about to buckle from carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He undoubtedly believes that He Yan can prevail against ten men and conquer the world, but still always has her back and will be her "moon" if she's in need. Ryan Cheng gives such a complex and fabulous portrayal of Xiao Jue. His captivating, piercing gaze and impressive presence serve as a stark contrast to when he actually softens for He Yan or shows vulnerability and grief. I first fell in love with Ryan Cheng's role as the sassy Gong Shang Jue in My Journey to You, so it's wonderful to see him with more screentime playing a more fleshed-out character. On-screen, Zhou Ye and Ryan Cheng show superb chemistry as the invincible general couple. Off-screen, they're a goofy pair that know each other's quirks inside out and are always up for a good laugh. Even when singing, they're equally matched in singing off-key on Hello Saturday!

The cinematography is absolutely stunning! From the beautifully choreographed fight sequences to the sheer intensity of the leads and massive scale of the battlefields, there isn't any action scene that's not iconic. Personally, I love He Yan's diverse range of weapons, including the fighting whip, archery, spear, sword and twin blades. This highlights how versatile and outstanding she is as a general. My all-time favourite scene got to be when He Yan and Xiao Jue fought side-by-side in the final battle with their majestic, complementary black and white armours and matching ferocity. I feel like this could be a crossover between The Long Ballad and Who Rules the World.

For soundtracks, I love it when Light Within The Heart (心海里的光) by Zhou Shen and Moon Like Song (月如歌) by Curley Gao are played during the intense battle scenes. But Embroidered Moon Verse (锦月书) by Zhang Zining and Long-Cherished Wish (夙愿) by Zhang Yuan definitely stole my heart as they perfectly encapsulate He Yan and Xiao Jue's lonely journeys before they found their reflection and soulmate in each other.

It's not to say there are no flaws in the drama. I find the villains of the drama a bit anti-climatic. The supposedly big villain He Rui Fei and his conspirator Xu Jing Fu are not as scheming as they're projected to be in the first half, with both having a rather quick downfall. Chu Zhao is perhaps one of the most pitiful SMLs who's got no place to jump in between the two inseperable leads. I feel like he could be a more calculative and interesting character rather than reduced to a crazed, obsessed SML. While not really a villain, I do think the emperor could be more discerning instead of being easily swayed by those around him just for the sake of maintaining the "balance" in palace politics. Although I haven't read the original novel, I believe that the fact that He Yan stays alive in the drama, rather than reincarnating into another body, after the assassination (possibly due to drama regulations), drastically limits the plot potential of the last few episodes. Nevertheless, this is still a drama with very high-quality production, which I enjoy watching immensely. This is not meant to be a historical drama full of political intrigue, but rather an awe-inspiring journey where two generals find their soulmate in each other, who could share their pain and happiness as they fight life-and-death battles to defend their beloved kingdom and its people.

FAVOURITE QUOTES

“I like the moon, but the moon doesn’t know.” He Yan
“Now the moon belongs to you [He Yan]. The peerless moon is yours now.” Xiao Jue

“I’m afraid after pretending to be someone else for too long, I might forget who I really am. I hope there’s someone in this world who comes for me. Not for He Ruifei. Not for General Feihong. Just for me. Coming for me.” He Yan

“Women are never inferior to men. Through the ages, people have claimed women belong at embroidery frames and housewifery. But must we women be confined to domestic roles or limited to needlework? We can write and fight. We can write literary masterpieces. We can charge into battle and earn glory. We’re not just waiting to be saved. We can save ourselves.” He Yan

“Swords are for enemies. Never against the weak.” He Yan

“You [He Yan] and I always share similar experiences. Be it our pasts or present, your pains resonate within me. It was you… Because of you, I chose to believe.” Xiao Jue

"She [He Yan] graces my view, occupies my mind and claims my heart" Xiao Jue

“As the General Feihong, you must soar freely in the sky.” Xiao Jue

“Even against ten men, let alone women, she’d [He Yan'd] still prevail.” Xiao Jue

“Many people may show consideration for others, but those [He Yan] who would sacrifice themselves for other people at critical moments are exceedingly rare.” Xiao Jue

“I know you are worried about my safety. But you must realise that once I wear this amour, I become a soldier, fearless of death.” He Yan
“He Yan, receive orders! Come back alive.” Xiao Jue

Read More

I like this better than its novel

Don’t get me wrong i like the novel, that’s the whole reason i am waiting desperately for this series, but i couldn’t help to feel that some scene feels unrealistic.

I don’t know about anyone else but i personally like this better than its novel, although a bit rushed and FL’s combat scene cut down to a minimum, ML’s dashing battle scene saves the whole Military General theme.

SML’s characteristics are much more pronounce that i hate him even more in this series.

I also like how they merged 2 certain characters in the novel into one. In the novel, one of them have little contributions to the story and the other have questionable life decisions that i must say it couldn’t relate to real life.

Ditching the rebirth genre is a great decision for this entire series, it makes every little twist and revelations that i find questionable in the novel much more believable in this series. But, although it serves the whole plot that sometimes questionable in the novel, FL frail figures could only justified by rebirth to another body, so ditching it would makes FL’s skinniness unjustified, not that i tried to body shame her, but i found it almost illogical.

The downside of ditching the rebirth story is also came by ditching few characters FL should have met, they are lovely characters, but i understand it would be illogical to include them without any red line to the plot.

Last but not least, their soundtracks are great and fit my preferences so well that i fell in love with them at first hear.

Read More

Surprisingly Very Well Done

I like Zhou Ye (He Yan) and i haven’t seen many of Ryan Cheng dramas so i can’t really speak to his past work. I usually read bad reviews prior to watching a Drama that i typically like the leads to see what audiences are thinking and if it’s really that bad. I am here to tell you that this is top 10 of 2025, top 5 historical dramas this year. I have been trying to be organized when i write reviews that audiences might read. I generally grade based on the ratings criteria.

Story: The story is similar but different than Mulan. I actually liked it better than Mulan even though the actress that played the last Mulan is one of the top actresses in China. This story was much better and had more deaf/details to it which could be due to it being a series instead of a movie.

Acting/Cast: Excellent casting and everyone played their role well. The NEGATIVE her is the lead actress acting as a man. The Director didn’t really change He Yan’s look, like shorten her hair, harden her face or make her seem like a man so this may have thrown audiences off the first 10 episodes. Once they got past this part of the story and it wasn’t really about gender, but fighting, it was all top notch.

Music: Excellent and not over the top like a lot of dramas.

Rewatch Value: Would absolutely rewatch to see some of the details I may have missed. Surprisedly there was a good ending and last 5 episodes.

Overall: IMO, outstanding series that kept me wanting the next episode. The fight scenes, especial with He Yan was some of the most beautiful scenes since Journey of Love and I would even say Crouching Tiger. They were not as physical looking as the two i mentioned above but the choreograph of the scenes were outstanding sticking to the same style for He Yan throughout the series. One thing I like is that they didn’t do to much poisoning the leads then have them fight while sick like a lot of historical dramas. If they got poisoned they recovered then had a big fight or war.

MUST SEE!!!

Read More

A Romance Woven with Honor and Steel

The Legend of Female General is one of those dramas that wants to balance heart-stirring romance with the grandeur of historical warfare. Having read the novel by Qian Shan Cha Ke beforehand (which also gave us The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage), I came in with high expectations—and I wasn’t that much disappointed. In fact, this adaptation captures much of what I loved in the novel while also delivering its own unique charm. It wasn’t a 100% adaptation, but I'm still impressed.

He Yan remains one of my most favorite female leads of all time. She’s unlike the usual cold-hearted revenge-driven heroines we often see in historical dramas. Instead, she carries her intelligence with warmth and kindness. Her sense of justice is sharp, but her humanity is even sharper, which makes her deeply compelling.

Xiao Jue, on the other hand, is the perfect counterpart to her. As a general, he embodies the phrase “actions speak louder than words”, but when he does speak—his words carry weight, wit, and tenderness. His lines are some of the best-written ones I’ve heard in a drama in a long time. And that confession scene? Absolutely unforgettable—subtle, heartfelt, and perfectly in character.

The story itself is not purely a revenge drama. Romance is undoubtedly at the forefront, with revenge acting more as a backdrop that adds tension rather than defining the entire plot. The pacing in the first few episodes might feel overwhelming as the editing tries to pack in world-building and backstory all at once, but once it settles, the narrative flows smoothly. The payoff is satisfying, and the ending leaves viewers with a sense of hope rather than lingering despair.

On the technical side, the action sequences stand out as some of the best I’ve seen in a Chinese historical drama. Each fight scene is not only choreographed with precision but also emotionally charged. I found myself replaying them multiple times—the sword fights, in particular, were breathtaking. It’s clear that the production team poured their heart into these moments, and it paid off brilliantly.

As for the performances, Zhou Ye and Ryan Cheng truly carried the heart of this drama. Zhou Ye brought a perfect balance of vulnerability and strength to He Yan, while Ryan Cheng’s restrained yet magnetic presence as Xiao Jue elevated their chemistry to another level. Their dynamic alone makes this drama worth watching. Bai Shu, as the villain, was a pleasant surprise. Having only seen him in supportive, “good guy” roles before, I was impressed by how convincingly he portrayed a villain who's somehow like a fool. ZKL admittedly felt off at times, but he managed to find his rhythm in the later episodes. Meanwhile, ZMY gave a solid performance as a side character.

Overall, The Legend of Female General is not perfect, but it is deeply rewarding. It gives us a romance that is steady yet unforgettable, and action scenes that set a new bar for the genre. Whether you’ve read the novel or are diving in for the first time, this drama will leave you with a lasting impression.

Read More

Fierce But Soft

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the FL not meeting the idealized version of what a woman disguised as a man in the military would look like. So let me address that first. Have you all looked at some of the soldiers and other actors in this and other wuxia style dramas? Some of the men would be blown away by a soft breeze were it not for their costume and play swords. Her voice is feminine, but many male vocalists that sing tenor or even soprano have feminine voices. Si what’s your beef? Just because you had a preconceived idea of what a female general should look like, you have decided this young actress doesn’t match your imagination. Yoy claim you want a strong female lead, but cry because her strength came from an abusive family, war, a narcissistic violent brother and the plotting court politician that wanted her life snuffed out…and she survived? What else do you want? Did you expect a manly voice and physique? Seriously?

My Review:

Frankly, I enjoyed this drama a great deal. The story was good. Yes there were holes, yes some things weren’t plausible in real life. But again - it is a STORY, not reality.

The chemistry between the leads was palpable. The ML’s eyes could be cold as ice and incredibly attractive once he found out how much he cared. I love also that the FL embraced her femininity when she was able to finally show the world who she was. Their character development as individuals and then as couple was very good. And when the ML was forced to deliver the edict from the jerk of an emporer who was manipulated by the 2ML, one could feel the pain his character had.

The floofy spoiled Chancellors daughter was rather ignorantly naive and spoiled. She lived in a world she created in her own mind in regards to others and the 2ML’s affections.

The villains were portrayed well. Bith tried to justify their choices and actions by shifting the blame to others and when they were eventually caught, it was still their delusions that came from their corrupted minds that poured out of their mouth.

The 2nd male lead annoyed me. While he had a pretty face, you could see the corruption and desire to get what he wanted (the FL) regardless of the cost - even to the point of manipulating the emporer into breaking their engagement. I detest a character that doesn’t take no for an answer and tries to force his way in.

The choreography of the fight scenes was very good. I didn’t see any wobbly swords, or fake blood spurting from wounds that hadn’t been inflicted yet. Of course things were exaggerated, but again, it’s a STORY.

The music was good, scenes were shot well, and the extras did a great job in the background.

Overall, I scored this a 10, because it was a good visual story and every scene was shot well.

If you haven’t watched it, throw out your expectations and just enjoy the STORY!

Read More