Good drama loving it so far
Legend of the Female General* – A Masterpiece of Strength, Romance, and Cinematic BrillianceLegend of the Female General (2025) is an extraordinary historical C-drama that delivers on every front—compelling characters, breathtaking action, and a love story that feels both epic and intimate. Here’s why it deserves a perfect 10:
. Unforgettable Lead Chemistry
The dynamic between He Yan (Zhou Ye) and Xiao Jue (Cheng Lei) is electric. Zhou Ye embodies the titular female general with a delicate exterior and a warrior’s spirit, while Cheng Lei’s stoic yet tender portrayal of Xiao Jue creates a perfect foil. Their chemistry isn’t just romantic; it’s a partnership of equals, whether they’re battling enemies or navigating emotional scars. The "love bridge" scene and forehead kiss in Episode 18 are pure magic, blending tension and tenderness flawlessly .
A Female Lead Who Shines
He Yan is a revelation—a fierce, strategic, and emotionally layered heroine. Her martial arts sequences are jaw-dropping, especially her iconic line in Episode 9: Tell the God of Death I’m the ghost you murdered…” . While some critics argue her agency wanes post-Episode 10 , the drama still highlights her resilience, trauma, and growth, even if the revenge subplot could’ve been deeper.
the Legend of the Female General. is a triumph—a rare blend of adrenaline-pumping action, heartfelt romance, and feminist undertones. While it could’ve delved deeper into He Yan’s revenge arc, the sheer charisma of the leads, the gorgeous production, and the emotional payoff make it unmissable. I say and put it: “If you haven’t watched it, you’re missing BIG TIME
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This Is The Definition Of "Match Made In Heaven"
A strong-willed female general and a supportive male general—what a perfect match. I’ve been waiting so long for this drama to air, and it just ended too fast. Hard to let go, honestly. But truthfully, it’s good—it’s my taste. The storyline was good, even though it’s not mind-blowing. Some parts may be predictable, but it still gave me a good feeling while watching.I love the friendships shown here—truly loyal. I didn’t read the novel because I’m not into reading, and everyone said the drama changed some parts of the plot, so maybe I’ll try reading a few sections one day. I also love how the drama gave us a happy ending. After watching this, I’m definitely waiting for Cheng Lei’s new drama since I’m already loving him.
✨ RECOMMENDABLE FOR ALL ✨
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Actors did great job.
I know some people complain about many details are left out from the novel but overall I thought it was a very good adaptation and production. Some characters were combined, some storyline eliminated entirely. I feel happy there wasn't a 2FL that spoil the mood on top of the psycho 2ML. Very few annoyance which can easily be fast forward , the story was rather logical. Leads chemistry was great, side characters were fun. Annoying characters were very annoying. I wish there has been more scenes showing HY cleverness but I would say they did capture most of the elements from the novel.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Female General's Story or What the Title Should Have Been.
This was an entertaining story of a strong, resilient, hardworking military woman and how after going through life made to disguise as her "brother" to bring the family fame she was ultimately betrayed and thought to have been killed. While quite a lot to deal with, none of it was Legendary. I added this story to my watchlist because though I knew CL could handle his own, ZY was a wild card. I knew several of the supporting characters as well. But this series should have been called the female general's story because anything else was plain overhype.Pros: Again my favorite part of this series were the battles. The choreography, the synchronization, just fantastic! Honestly, if this show just had them and the leads romance plus the comradeship of the soldiers in their garrison, I would have been happy. Probably would have gotten a higher score too. But that's not possible. ML or XJ was a powerhouse, whether as a commander in his army or pleading for his soul at the end; the man showed and acted every emotion suited for his character. He had to clear his father's name along with those 30k troops that were killed and framed when a corrupt chancellor and several lackeys made deals with an enemy state. So that was when his path crossed our FL's or HY who had to start from scratch after surviving everything her disgusting and pathetic brother threw at her. Just as a lowly soldier in XJ's camp she quickly caught his eye, first as possibly a spy and than as that was disproven, she became the most dedicated soldier in his garrison, slowly climbing that ladder step by step. Also turned out the two of them were in school together when they were younger but she always wore a mask since she was young and couldn't even see her own mother. She, however, no matter what was thrown at her obstacle or even a royal decree if she didn't want to live that way, she didn't care if the person telling her what to do was a general, an emperor, or a God. She was going to live her life only the way she wanted everyone else be damned and I really appreciated that about her, giving other women the same message of empowerment. Others saw her frame, small stature, and voice not commanding enough, and I thought that was the whole point; because of these limitations, she had to prove herself more than a larger woman would have with the same qualifications. I would have to disagree with some points that I read that HY was too much of a clown or too cutesy in the barracks to be believable; but that's actually what happens in the barracks if she was a dude, ppl would not be complaining about it. When it was time for serious training, she was spot on, number one serious but when it was time off why couldn't she have some fun? Even in the current military, you see military women doing TikTok dances, and all sorts of things people are allowed to let off steam when they are not on active duty.
Once all of the fog is cleared away and they realize they're on the same team, they start working together, closer and closer until ice cold ML melts and love built on trust sets it. The second couple, originally annoying and foolhardy, became great sources of help as well as his guard, her 4 friends from the garrison, YH, the remaining general after the other 7 were ambushed and killed by the real NRF, her disgusting brother that never did a thing in his life and yet wanted all the glory and accolades for himself. He's relegated to the cons, don't worry. They had quite a group of great friends and ML's brother and his wife as support. If the series had ended in episode 33 or beginning of 34 by just marrying off both sets of couples (really wanted a spicy wedding night for the leads); I think it would have been great but we would have missed that great battle sequence in 36. The rest of it was better to be left in the trash because those people were all trash, emperor included. Also FL finally getting her General's name back and ML's father's name and those warriors cleared, was also a great I believe episodes 32 and some of 33; other than the bipolar emperor (in the cons). The only believable antagonist was the chancellor and that's because this particular actor has played an antagonist before, so there was no mistaking his treachery. And he played him well; a little too well because at the end, when all of his crimes were exposed, he still didn't get he did anything wrong. I think that's whatever is in the water in that city that caused people to have delusion. Costumes, sets, battle scenes, and OSTs, were all on point.
Cons: Oh boy; where to start? I will start with the FL because of the whole legendary thing. I think it was just a title to slap on in English for the production company. When you think of someone who is legendary it is someone who has had to have a career in any industry or in anything else for decades and help hundreds of thousands of not millions of people. On another note, it's like saying a movie or a TV series is a cult classic; this means this particular work of film has captured the hearts and minds of many generations. Examples would be Gone With The Wind, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Titanic, The Crow, or actors like Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Chen, Kara Wei, Clint Eastwood, etc. So calling her a legendary General just did not fit. Someone who had only been doing it for a few decades at best and not even as herself, but someone constantly covered by a mask like the man behind the mask, played by Leonardo DiCaprio because he was forced in there. It was also very unrealistic that even from the get-go when she was in school in the mask that it was completely obvious that she was really a woman. Forget the fact that she had a chest that she bound; she was short, she was slim, and she had curves. Common sense doesn't apply here. I also have to agree with a few other people that wrote in their reviews saying that HY did have hardship, but it wasn't shown so we as viewers couldn't experience that hardship with her. It was like all this happened to her; she was poisoned, blinded, stabbed, and thrown into the river off a cliff, but we all know cliff diving people always survive; her master saved her which of course we don't see, but that's OK and gave her medicine to help her see again as well as clear the poison, and recover at his place so though she went through all this hardship that was spoken about, it was never actually shown to the audience and I think that would've made us feel the depth of HY's character more.
Moving on to prune face aka NRF. Lord help me, I never thought I'd see the day, I'd put Bai Shu in the cons! But it had happened and all because he took on his first antagonist role and that scrunched up face made me laugh like why lord almighty? Dude wasn't cut out to play an antagonist and one that lived off of others awards never having done a single thing himself but the arrogance was sky high. They couldn't have killed him fast enough but I'm glad it all happened as they exposed his and the chancellor's treason. I just hope he never plays an antagonist again. He too came down with bouts of delusion in prison later on though for the rest of the series he harbored full belief in his own grandeur, which literally amounted to nothing.
Delusion seemed to be the name of the game because the one who had it the most was CZ. This dude was like an undetectable mosquito throughout the series though that chancellor was his master and he was a very dutiful disciple. That said, he always had flashbacks of his dying mother which obviously shaped his unhealthy psyche. XJ pegged him as someone not to be trusted immediately but because HY was friends with him he was quietly cautious but none of them could have to go full throttle delusional psycho Warren Bates because he saw them kiss when they got engaged. So after he officially goes bananas and lets his brains run out of his ear, he runs to the emperor and tells him that even though ML and FL are in love they are generals of two armies, which, of course makes the paranoid, bipolar emperor scared for his throne (when both have shown him they were always loyal to him) make a decree that they cannot marry, but the FL has to marry CZ. Another thing about this character and the series that just didn't make sense was the fact that this guy other than maybe doing a good job on the imperial exam, had no real qualifications or experience, but kept getting promoted to higher positions. At first, perhaps it had to do with the fact that the chancellor was a corrupt official, but after the fact, it still didn't make any sense and why the emperor made him the director of the secretary of war when this POS had no knowledge of war, warfare, or what any of that entailed. And that when the war broke out and in fact invaded the most powerful two armies had to be split because CZ the complete and unqualified idiot made the advice to the emperor, but remember the emperor has to make the final decision which he did based on his new little buddy's advice. It was literally a time bomb, which ended up killing a lot of people including the unnecessary death of YH. I really wish HY had slapped him when she gave him that reality check. Because he deserved to be decked so hard that it knocked all the delusion out of his head. CZ's little voiceover after he realized his mistakes were crocodile tears, and when it was all said and done, I wish both he and the emperor were stripped of their positions and exiled to the borderlands for making such a asinine and stupid decision that cost so many lives and it was completely unnecessary. Let the Empress govern, she has more brains than her bipolar, nasty husband.
Would I recommend it? It's a good watch in the sense of, don't spend too much time nitpicking. Just enjoy the show.
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A story of rebirth of general Feihong and her moon accompanying her through the journey
I have been a fan of Zhou Ye since I watched her series Back from the Brink that came out in 2023. Have been following her since then. I still remember back in 2023, the first time I heard about this drama was because ZY was rumored to be the lead in this drama. The story line interested me and I started keeping tabs. Eventually, Zhou Ye and Ryan Cheng were confirmed to be the leads and the filming started which brought in some beautiful reuters. But then the third lead got into a scandal and the release kept on getting delayed. Fast forward to 2025 the drama finally confirmed its release date.I have always been a fan of dramas with strong female leads. Personally for me this drama does have some flaws and some illogical scenes but overall I would say it is a good drama.
Here is my opinion and some advice for people contemplating to watch it.
1. If you are expecting a female lead who is scheming, ruthless and blood thirsty for revenge, then this will not be your cup of tea. The female lead has been wronged by her family and had her identity as a mighty general stolen. So she starts over again to gradually get back what she lost. Since she is starting from scratch, she is a carefree and bubbly soldier in the initial episodes who is no longer shouldering the responsibility of a general. But once, battle starts she is again back to her fierce fighter mode. I personally liked all the fight/battle scenes. Sometimes they felt short but other than that they were extremely well executed.
2. The chemistry between the leads was insane. This drama has some of the best romantic scenes especially the way they profess their love to each other. Our male lead is not someone who says a lot in general and appears cold, but he expresses everything through his actions. Need Ryan Cheng and Zhou Ye in a modern drama please.
3. The Overall storyline is good but then to me it felt like they failed to pay attention to details. Like in some scenes, it failed to deliver the emotion it intended to, just because the build up was not proper. To some extent, I would try to excuse that given all the scandal, delays and all the scenes they had to cut. Not to mention Chinese censorship banned a lot of things like rebirth to be shown in the drama.
4. One thing i would like to mention is how the second male lead, Chu Zhao could have been portrayed in a better way. Although I did not dislike him cause we got to see a few cute jealous moments , he was already very complex from the start but it took a darker side especially in the last 3 episodes.
Anyway in the end I would say since this drama had an insane hype, different people would have different expectation from the drama. But in the end it is hard to satisfy from every aspect. So if you like good fighting scenes, good chemistry and a strong yet bubbly female lead, I would recommend giving it a try.
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Good but not great
I expected more from this drama. The beginning was really strong — no boring parts at all — but as it approached the ending, especially during the confrontation with the FL’s mother dying, I found myself confused. It felt like one of those cat memes going “huh?” The pacing and storytelling in the later episodes started to drag, and it became harder to watch.I appreciate that the drama tried to highlight themes of gender equality, but the execution sometimes felt forced. As a woman, instead of feeling inspired, I felt that the message was being pushed a little too hard. Some of the side characters’ storylines also felt underdeveloped and poorly written compared to the main arc.
That said, there are many strengths worth mentioning. I genuinely loved the chemistry between the leads — they carried the romance well and gave me those kilig moments. All of the actors, including the supporting cast, did a great job. The fight scenes were also beautifully choreographed and very enjoyable to watch.
Overall, it’s a decent series. I would recommend it, especially to fans of wuxia and those who enjoy strong and smart FL & ML dynamics. However, it didn’t give me that lasting “wow factor” to rank among my favorite wuxia C-dramas. Still, it was a worthwhile watch.
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Just female general, no legend.
I had a lot of expectations for this drama—like, a lot. But in the end, only one or two of them were actually met.This could’ve been a much better story. The potential was definitely there, but sadly, that’s all it stayed—just potential.
To give credit where it’s due: the romance was well-written and well-acted, and the fight scenes were both well-choreographed and beautifully shot. But that’s pretty much where the praise ends. The rest just didn’t hold up. The writing lacked cohesion, the direction was all over the place, and there was barely any real world-building or meaningful character development. The story arcs felt hollow and rushed.
Plot & Motivation Issues:
The characters’ motivations—especially for revenge—fell flat. The villains didn’t feel threatening or smart enough to justify the kind of reactions they were getting. Most of the time, they were just hanging around in Chancellor Xu’s house. That was it. There were no layers, no detailed strategies shown. Just weak, lukewarm threats, and always just constantly having Wutuo initiate a war over and over again almost redundant.
On the Female General Angle:
The whole “female general” narrative ended up feeling more suffocating than inspiring. Every time He Yan launched into a speech about how women can or should be something, I found myself rolling my eyes. As much as I agree with the core message, the way it was delivered felt so forced and patronizing. Personally, I would’ve preferred if she just did the thing without needing to explain or justify it every time. Just be the badass general—no monologue necessary. A “why not?” attitude would’ve gone a long way.
Romance vs. Plot:
The romance was stronger than the main plot—which sounds like a good thing, but it actually made everything else feel worse in comparison. The story was just confusing and flat. And because the plot lacked weight, it dragged everything else down with it—including the good parts.
Character Depth & Missed Arcs:
Xiao Jue (Male Lead):
-His arc was more solid and interesting compared to He Yan’s.
-Initially described as a cold, calculating, and strategic general, Xiao Jue only displayed those traits in fleeting moments.
-As the series progressed, his characterization weakened. He began making uncharacteristic missteps, especially during his confrontations with Chancellor Xu and Mr. Chu (e.g., the ledger incident and the ex-soldier betrayal).
-His long-standing personal revenge plot was eventually sidelined to prioritize He Yan’s vendetta—despite the enemy overlapping in both cases. This shift felt forced and diminished the weight of his own backstory.
-He turned into such a Lovefool for He Yan that it almost felt unfair to his character, making him come across as pretty pitiable.
-His right-hand man was unreliable, and so were his soldiers.
He Yan (Female Lead):
-Despite years of experience disguising herself as a man and even serving as a general, she sometimes felt like someone who had only just put on the disguise. It betrayed her arc.
-Her character was overpraised, with a streak of immaturity and a gullible side.
Mr. Chu (Second Male Lead):
-From the start, his character and motivations were confusing. Once revealed, they didn’t feel justified, making it seem like the writers were forcing him into a role that just didn’t fit or make sense in context.
Supporting Characters:
-They were poorly used, only popping up when convenient.
-The comrades He Yan gained in the Yezhou Garrison ended up as accessories, a wasted chance to make them like Wei Shao’s team in The Prisoner of Beauty.
Overall:
If the story had leaned into a love story between two generals—potentially a rivals-to-lovers arc—it could’ve been more cohesive and carried real depth.
*I still have more to say but it will just end up being a rant.
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Unmet expectations
I was eager to watch this because of the favorable pre-release feedback online. But from the start, the actress playing the female lead was a disappointment. Regardless of the different contents, : moods or tones of the scenes, she had only 2 facial expressions: either smiling or grinning, trying to look cute and lovable as she “innocently” flirted her way through the drama; or putting on her feeble attempt to look serious, oh, of course a 3rd expression—pain when she gets wounded.Sorry, but having watched a lot, a lot of Chinese dramas: whatever good points this drama may have, and I’m sure other reviews here will point it out, I’m sorely tempted not to continue watching this.
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One of the more interesting shows in 2025 so far
I quite enjoyed this show. it had a lot of military intrigue with the focus primarily being on the female general. I think overall the show was well done.The Good
I actually appreciated that the romance took a backseat in this show. It was subtle and more natural instead of forced and in your face. The main plot was pretty interesting and overall was a well written story. Of course there were moments where logic got a little lost but the main plot didn’t lose its edge. I like that the story stayed in focus for majority of the show. It didn’t have a whole lot of sub plots. I also enjoyed the progression of the female general as it was truly like a comeuppance story. The flashbacks were well placed and added to the story building. The acting was pretty decent for most of the characters and our leads had really good chemistry. They were well suited for their roles. Overall, production value was decent. I’d give the war scenes a 4 out of 5 with well coordinated fights.
The bad
I think Chu Zhao’s character was sort of unnecessary. For me he didn’t really add much to the story. It was almost a way just to fluff up the conflicts, but I think it could’ve been written better. As I mentioned, sometimes logic got lost in some of the war scenes. And I know this was probably put in place to accelerate the romance, but it was almost unnecessary for some of the scenes. The ending with the king was also a little unnecessary. I think they could’ve wrapped up the final couple of episodes a little differently as I think that conflict at the very end is sort of a waste. I also felt like there were scenes missing from the show as I watched throughout because sometimes the transitions would be abrupt or I felt like I missed something. To wrap it up, the final scene was a little unsatisfactory. It didn’t end bad but it was sort of flat for me. Didn’t evoke too many emotions.
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Not overrated, really good. ;) ♡
Many bad critical reviews, but I think the high rating of this drama and mostly good comments in the comment section speak for themselves.I love both Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei, and I think they made a really great job portraying their characters. Somehow despite so many fighting scenes Cheng Lei managed to show his soft and gentle side with Zhou Ye( behind the mask of cold general. )
Beautiful leads, good acting, great chemistry, beautifully filmed combat scenes, beautiful costumes, good script, great production and rewarch value overall by my opinion.
Even though Zhou Ye is a thin and graceful girl she looked not less impressive in combat scenes than Cheng Lei.
A Story about Hetoism, Loyalty, True friendship, Love, Betrayal, Patriotism.
Family what is it? Is it a place where you are born, or people who surround you from childhood? or family are the people who understand you, care for you and support you most throughout your life?
This drama is about past, but you can see similar things in modern world too. When people in struggle for power don't see how ugly their soul becomes when they use wrong means to achieve their goals.
But the truth is that as long as Heroes and benevolent fearless souls exist there will always be justice and Light, and good will always triumph.
Heroes and true Love can be reckless sometimes risking their lives and everything they have for the right cause. But no matter if their end is happy or tragic, at least they don't live in vain. To follow your heart always, and to live according to your beautiful values no matter what, is the only beautiful, worthy and dignified way of existing.
Dont miss this coz of wrong opinions.
Everyone has their own perception of Beauty and values.
Try it, and make your own opinion. 😉
😚🩵🪽
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Watch This right now!
I waited over 1 year for this drama, and when I say it was worth the wait, IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. As soon at over 20 episodes were out I binged the whole thing. I thought 20 episode would be enough for me to watch then the rest would be out, but I was so wrong. I finished the whole drama in about 3 days. The first thing I want to point out is our FL He Yan. Her backstory made me angry and equally vengeful, but watching her grow, getting her revenge and become the first even female general was amazing. This FL has to be one of the best ones out there, and is all you can ask for in a strong and smart FL. I especially love her and her relationship with the moon, her words "我喜欢月亮，月亮不知道" has to be one of the best lines I have ever seen in all the dramas that I have watched! If anythign watch this drama for He Yan. Now the romance, Xiao Jue with a block of ice become the sweetest guy when he finally understands his love for He Yan. This duo is too cute. The plot is pretty interesting too; I loved He Yan's rise to power. My only disappointment is that I am really confused with what happened with Chu Zhao, that whole incident was really random and confusing. However, overall, GO WATCH THIS DRAMA!Was this review helpful to you?
A powerful, beautifully crafted historical drama with a fierce and unforgettable female lead!
Legend of the Female General is a sweeping historical drama that masterfully blends action, romance, and political intrigue — all centered around one of the most compelling female leads in recent television. From the very first episode, the show captivates with its strong storytelling, breathtaking cinematography, and emotionally resonant performances.A Heroine Worth Remembering
At the heart of the series is the unforgettable female general — a bold, brilliant warrior who defies the rigid expectations of her time. Her journey from a misunderstood outcast to a respected military commander is both inspiring and emotionally powerful. The lead actress delivers a commanding performance, balancing strength and vulnerability with grace.
Storytelling & Characters
The writing is tight and engaging, weaving complex political plots with deeply personal stakes. Supporting characters are far from one-dimensional; allies and enemies alike are layered, and their evolving relationships keep you emotionally invested. The drama doesn’t shy away from tough moral questions, making it all the more gripping.
Action & Aesthetics
The battle scenes are choreographed with precision and realism — intense without being overdone. The costumes and set design reflect a high level of historical authenticity and attention to detail, immersing viewers in the era without ever distracting from the plot.
Romance with Depth
Rather than relying on clichéd tropes, the romantic subplot is slow-burning, genuine, and built on mutual respect and shared struggle. It adds emotional richness to the drama without overshadowing the central narrative of empowerment and honor.
Final Verdict
Legend of the Female General is more than just a war drama — it’s a story of resilience, courage, and breaking barriers. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves strong female leads, historical depth, and stories that stay with you long after the final episode. Whether you're here for the battles, the romance, or the political intrigue, this drama delivers on all fronts.
Highly recommended!
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