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She Fought, She Loved, She Won… But the Drama Fell Just Short
“The general who commanded both her life and her army.”The Legend of the Female General was an okay watch for me. The story set out to be empowering and in some ways it was. We got to follow He Yan’s journey as she fought against all odds to become the first female general of Wei. What struck me most was how she had to constantly disguise herself, bending her own identity just to keep moving forward. She didn’t have much free will, but what she did have was resilience ;an unshakable determination to live life on her own terms.
The drama touched on so many different aspects. There was comradeship, which I really enjoyed watching develop. It wasn’t easy for He Yan to gain the trust of her fellow soldiers, but over time, their loyalty to her felt genuine and heartfelt. Then there was the romance, which honestly melted me a little. He Yan fell in love with Xiao Jue(the “moon”)and in my eyes, she won. I loved how supportive he was of her, even back in their school days when he thought she was a boy. His attention was always on her and those expressive eyes said more than words ever could.
Family was another thread running through the story. Though her own relatives mistreated her and wanted her gone, He Yan always seemed to find true family wherever she went. Friends turned into siblings, comrades into a home. That part really grounded the story for me...(Ride or Die Buddies).
Still, I can’t say the drama completely won me over. For some reason, it just didn’t have that extra spark that makes a show unforgettable. I enjoyed it, I appreciated the acting but it’s not something I’d call a must-watch. It was good, just not one that’s going to linger in my memory for long.
In short, The Legend of the Female General was well-rounded, heartfelt, and empowering, but it stopped just short of being truly memorable.
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Strong Chemistry and a Story with a Touch of Mulan
This was my first time watching both the ML and FL, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. They had great chemistry together, and I have to give special praise to the ML, his acting was consistent and convincing all throughout the drama.The story itself is really good, with some resemblance to Mulan. It’s a mix of drama, comedy, and romance, so it never feels boring. Since this is a military drama, there are plenty of political scenes, but if you’re not into politics, you can honestly just skip those parts and still enjoy watching.
Toward the end, I thought we were headed for a happy ending—especially when they showed the ML and FL’s relationship after all the political conflict. But then the second male lead really tested my patience, along with the Emperor, whose selfishness caused a lot of frustration. Thankfully, the Emperor redeemed himself in the end with his decision to let the ML and FL be together.
Overall, Legend of the Female General is definitely binge-worthy and worth watching—especially if you enjoy this kind of genre.
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Trust and power
What impressed me most is how natural the relationship between the leads feels – their chemistry is built on trust and mutual respect, without anything exaggerated or forced. Every scene between them flows effortlessly, and you can really believe in their bond.The female lead is such a strong character, and the actress does a fantastic job bringing her to life. She’s confident, capable, and never overshadows or gets overshadowed – which makes the romance even more balanced and enjoyable to watch.
The fight scenes are another highlight. They’re well choreographed, with movements that look fluid and convincing from both sides, adding a lot of authenticity to the story. And of course, Xiao’s cold, piercing gaze is unforgettable – it perfectly suits his role and adds so much intensity to the drama.
Overall, this drama has just the right mix of action, romance, and emotional depth. With strong characters, believable chemistry, and battles that actually look real, The Legend of the Female General is definitely worth watching!
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Quirky Female general and her second chance at life and love❣️❣️
In the beginning, you see the female general that has been created by others to mimic a man. Her face is covered with a heavy mask and she is made to hide every aspect of her femininity. She gets trained and becomes extremely strong 💪 .As the drama progresses, I believe she cares less and less about looking like aman and embraces her femininity. The once gloomy and aloof general embraces life and is happy to express her quirky and comedic side when she joins as a trainee. That was somehow heartwarming to watch. She is also quite sweet with her army brothers and takes all challenges with a positive attitude. What I love about her is the fact that she is quite good at resolving/handling disagreements with army brothers.
The FL doesn't really mind getting caught or revealing herself in certain situations much later because she has proved her worth and made important alliances by then.
Also, after carrying on the weight of other people's expectations for soo long, she has now decided to live for herself and enjoy the journey fully. Hence, you also get to see a much more unshackled and free version of hers. This doesn't mean that she has no PTSD and she is completely free from trauma. They have also showed her vulnerable side.
The male lead of the drama is such a cool general who is also a great strategist. His aim is restoring hus father's glory and the FL becomes his greatest asset along the way. I think the male's character could have been much better but they missed making him a bit more interesting.
Overall, it's enjoyable...not a masterpiece but fairly and oddly enjoyable.
Both the actors did a great job and had a good chemistry with each other
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writing this as a newbie of historical cdrama watcher
i'm not usually a fan of this type of historical cdrama, usually i just watch modern dramas. but this one really makes me want to give other costume dramas a try (again). the only costume dramas i’ve loved so far are The Untamed, The Princess Royal and Scarlet Heart (i've dropped so many custom dramas before this). so, my suggestion, if you are new into this kind of cdrama then it's a good drama for you to watch. it's easy to watch and the political conflict not too complicated to understand.Was this review helpful to you?
Another overrated drama
This drama had a lot of plot holes from the beginning, but the score went up to 8.8 because of the actors' visuals or the actors' chemistry. Is this why mdl exists these days? I bet mdl is becoming a temu. Look at the drama title. I expected something stronger. The biggest problem with this drama is the casting of the female protagonist. She really doesn't fit into this drama, so she doesn't have any facial expressions, so it feels like she's just giving strength to her eyes. Her face physique is all female, but you can't see her as a man just because her eyes are strong. But it's possible in this dramaIt's just a normal love drama
I wonder why this drama was able to get to 8.7. If you want to know the true score for this drama, check out Douban
Douban 5.4 imdb 7.8 Douban is the most accurate
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Legen-DAIRY!
I was so excited for this series. All the teasers, the reels, the videos I saw got me so hyped up that I had some sort of expectations coming in to watch the series. However, I have never seen the two main leads in any series before so I don't know either of them.But let me tell you right now that this show is so overyhped and overrated. I was just plain disappointed. I don't even know why I kept watching but I did so I am not going to feel bad about spending time to review this but I should. This series talked about a legendary female general and seriously, there was no legendary female general from this show. I was expecting a bad-ass female character but all we got was an infantilized version of a romance female lead. You can not be serious that this woman has been a general, has led an army, has won multiple battles, and has even gone undetected as a woman in the military for so long? Granted, we are expected to suspend belief but come on now, this is just overreach. I don't mind her physique and looks, but her behavior and demeanor does not befit a general. Who gets drunk in a military camp and almost gives herself away multiple times? Ridiculous. The whole cutesy version female lead won over the strong woman that we could have gotten. That is such a pity because this could have been a really great series with a great premise.
On the other hand, I enjoyed the fight scenes but they weren't as grand or epic as you would expect - again, where is the legendary? The first few episodes were ok. The pacing of the series was pretty smooth since the episodes were shorter than usual. But honestly, it felt like the latter part of the series just dragged on. This whole series totally missed the mark. It could have been great, it could have been legendary, but it just ended up flat.
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An as objective review as possible.
So this is one of those series where the comment section has essentially become a warzone & I personally just recommend against reading the comment section. So as objective as I can as someone who didn't read the novel & isn't simply trying to shut up anyone who has a criticism I will just point out some positives & negatives & why you should or shouldn't watch this drama.Positives:
- The 2 Leads have a pretty cute chemistry / love story. I know a lot of people don't like Zhou Ye's acting & I understand, but I took it for what it was. Cheng Lei was just cooking with what he had. The intense stares to the subtle smile. Yeah, I'm not gay, but he was great. But in the end it is pretty simple, with nothing overly deep that may get you thinking about it too much. Still a fun watch mainly bcuz of the actors IMO.
- The action scenes are probably the best thing this drama has going for it. The final fight actually looks pretty damn cinematic for a TV series.
- The cinematography ranges from standard to pretty damn good. And the pretty damn good was mainly in the actions scenes.
- I liked the music & OST too, but not too jaw dropping good.
Negatives:
- Lack of depth & characterization makes the Leads & even side characters quite boring. If they Leads didn't have their fun chemistry working I think it'd be quite apparent. E.G. ML wants to restore his family's honor, but we barely see his family or relationship with his father in the beginning. Only later in the final third part of the series do we meet his family, but they barely add depth to him.
- The story is really simple so don’t expect any amazing tension, twists, resolution or anything of the like.
- If you read the novel the chances of you liking it is pretty damn small.
- Villains are a bit underwhelming.
- Last 3-4 ep you really, really need to tolerate the ridiculousness.
Overall, I enjoyed. With themes of identity, femininity, strength & love the show falls short. Not a lot is put into discovering the Female General. Instead it was lightly spread throughout that it didn't make as much of an impact as it should. So if you liked the novel or are expecting an interesting story about a woman discovering her femininity, balancing that with her masculinity, her wits, her strength & how she uses this to inspire other woman, then best to skip this. If you are looking for a simple, light & fluffy romance with some cool action scenes thrown in once in a while. Watch it.
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"Legend of Female General" - From Warrior to Damsel: How a Promising Drama Lost Its Way
I was so hyped for this drama. The cast seemed decent, the hype was huge, and it was based on a novel I really liked a novel where the female lead, He Yan, is a true powerhouse: smart, strategic, fierce, and fighting her own battles without depending on anyone. The title itself Legend of Female General promised a story about women’s strength and resilience.The first 10 episodes had me hooked. We saw He Yan’s determination, her fight skills, and that adrenaline rush every time she faced an enemy. But after episode 10… everything went downhill. Suddenly, the woman who was supposed to be a legendary general became clingy, overly domestic, and constantly in need of saving. Every fight scene lasted maybe 10 seconds before she got injured, and like clockwork, the male lead Xiao jue would appear no matter how far away to rescue her. There’s even a ridiculous shallow-water drowning scene just to set up a rescue kiss.
Worse, here's hardly anything related to He Yan’s revenge and trauma. Her betrayal by her family? Barely addressed. Her stepbrother’s conspiracy? Glossed over. Her father’s role? Ignored. Even the second male lead gets more meaningful screen time than the supposed female lead.
In the novel, He Yan fought head-on, made her own choices, and carried her own story. In the drama, she’s reduced to pleasing Xiao jue, blaming herself for things she didn’t do, and existing mainly to serve his arc. This isn’t a female-centric drama anymore it’s a romance drama wearing the disguise of one.
What frustrates me most is the double standard. Look at Legend of Zhang Hai this year — a male-centered revenge drama. The ML there is driven by his goal, and romance is just a side element. The execution is tight, the focus never wavers. Why can’t a female-centered drama be given the same respect? Why must her story be softened, diluted, and twisted until she can’t stand on her own without a man?
Legend of Female General could have been epic. Instead, it’s proof of how female-led stories are still treated: not as legends in their own right, but as backdrops for a man’s tale. The only thing worth watching is the acting and chemistry now the execution is bad and it seems like many scenes are cut. For a drama I waited so long for... what a letdown.
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From a perspective having read the book
The first few episodes have shown me a great deal of what to expect from this show.First of all, the casting is amazing. I think they did a great job with casting the Main Couple, as i think both actors fit the image that the show is portraying the MCs with very well. Very gentle, stoic and handsome visuals.
What pegged me as interesting was that they have stricken certain plot points and thus characters from the show in comparison to the book. I think it makes sense to change some aspects, although i still was a bit surprised and I hope that the a sense of characters like the He family for example won't make a difference. Also i think they combined Cheng Lisu and Lin Shuang He? I really look forward but also am sceptical about these changes, since most characters they have removed were my faves in the book.
The tone of the show is rather solemn and more serious than I initially would have expected from reading the book, but it makes sense and I already could tell from the trailers. The FL He Yan does not get reborn like in the book but is saved from death and enlists in the army. In the book she seems a bit more silly (in a good way) and like a funny strong minded girl. So far I feel like in the show she is more of a more calmer personality. I don't mind this, i'm very excited to see it.
The first few episodes were very fun so far and I will continue editing as we go!
I recommend giving it a shot, if you're in the mods for an epic.
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Could have been better.
The chemistry between the main leads was great, even the acting was good but the story was not very engaging.I think they tried to include the exciting parts of the novel while making their own changes but couldn't weave it all together. Hence the story lost its charm and logic (at some places).
I found the last few episodes(after they return to the capital) to be the best out of all. I really liked the fl lead's acting - she was good. Also the fight scenes were great. On the whole, it could have been better.
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Ruined Potential
I was excited to see Ryan Cheng in a ML role since (A Familiar Stranger) but this is just not it.Classic cringe bad C drama writing:
-Not even 1 ep to set up character's background to establish some kind of emotional connection
-FL being blind randomly gets saved by the ML. I mean why is he even there? Should at least be logical.
-FL not convincing as a male which I never expect looks wise, but if you compare Yang Zi (in Lost Forever) as a male, the way she walked, talked she was very convincing. Or Zhang Ya Qin in Love in Between, that legit is actually caring about the character trying to pass as a guy. Nothing like FL here fluttering her eyes at the ML before the big reveal.
17 ep in:
-No chemistry between the leads IMO (Although I do think the leads can act given a good script)
-No strong interesting supporting cast stories
-Jokes don't hit and often awkward
Potential lost.
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