Worth Every Second of the Wait – The Legend of the Female General Captivates Completely
After waiting two whole years for The Legend of the Female General to finally air, I can honestly say the wait was not wasted—it was worth every single day. This drama is nothing short of perfect. From the moment the first episode started, I was drawn into its world of courage, sacrifice, and resilience. The writing is tight, the pacing keeps you fully engaged, and every scene feels purposeful, whether it’s a breathtaking battle sequence or a quiet emotional moment. The production quality is equally impressive—the costumes, set designs, and cinematography all bring the story to life with authenticity and beauty.But what truly elevates this drama is the acting. Zhou Ye delivered such a powerful performance as the female general, embodying both her strength as a leader and her vulnerability as a person. It’s not easy to balance these two sides, but she did it flawlessly, making her character unforgettable. Watching her grow and carry the weight of leadership was inspiring and deeply moving.
Then there is Cheng Lei—someone I’ve admired since the first time I saw him in A Familiar Stranger. From that drama, he already captivated me with his presence and talent, and since then, he has only continued to impress. In The Legend of the Female General, he completely shined. What I love about Cheng Lei is that he is not like many other actors who focus on looking overly thin or fragile in historical costumes. Instead, he feels natural, grounded, and strong. His presence on screen is commanding yet effortless, and he brings an authenticity that makes you truly believe in his character. Every line he delivers, every look in his eyes, draws you deeper into the story.
Together, Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye carried the entire show with their talent and chemistry. They didn’t just act—they became their characters, and that’s what made this drama so extraordinary. Their relationship on screen added emotional depth to the plot and made the stakes feel even higher.
Overall, The Legend of the Female General is more than just a drama—it’s an experience. It celebrates resilience, love, leadership, and the courage to stand against the odds. For me, it’s a masterpiece, and one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched. After waiting two years, I can finally say: it was worth every moment. This is a show that will stay in my heart for a long, long time.
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Dating, War, and Everything In Between
Now that I’ve finished watching, I can say this drama is definitely a good one. Not the best out there, but still solid. An easy A for me.I really loved the romance between the leads, and the comedy in the early episodes (especially when she was still a low-ranking soldier) had me cracking up 😂. But without a doubt, my absolute favorite part was the war and fighting scenes. So well done that I know I’ll be rewatching those over and over again. That’s why even though a lot of people complained about the last 3 episodes, I still enjoyed them thanks to the dating and war moments.
What I didn’t enjoy was the unnecessary conflicts that made the emperor look like he couldn’t make wise decisions. Some scenes also felt poorly directed, like the lake scene, where they came out completely dry right after diving in 😅. That’s definitely more on the director than the writer.
All in all, since I’ll be rewatching my favorite parts anyway, I’d give this drama a solid 8.7/10.
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This review may contain spoilers
10/10 Rewatchable C-drama!
The Legend of the Female General is such a good watch. Normally, I tend to get bored with fight scenes, especially when the action is so chaotic you can barely follow it, but this drama really stands out. The battle sequences are some of my favorites, and watching Xiao Jue and He Yan fight side by side is such a treat. The leads truly embody their characters, and their chemistry feels natural and compelling. And don’t even get me started on the little things. What makes Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei such exceptional leads is the way they breathe life into their characters through subtle details... the looks, side glances, the small smiles, understanding each other without talking, He Yan’s tenacity and unwavering loyalty, Xiao Jue’s quiet yet steadfast love for her, the way they instinctively look out for each other in different ways. It’s these moments that make their performances so compelling and unforgettable.Some viewers argue that it doesn’t make sense for the emperor to praise their love yet forbid them from marrying. But from a political perspective, his hesitation is understandable. A union between two powerful military and political figures could threaten the balance of power in the empire. That said, it was shortsighted of him to let that concern overshadow the urgency of wartime. He should have made a clear, decisive choice before sending them to Mingshui, Huayuan, and Rundu.
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It's a bit strange, but okay
the story revolves around a family where the father forces his own daughter to become strong and join the military. Yet, despite pushing her to excel, he offers her no protection or care. Driven by his harsh expectations, she rises through the ranks and eventually becomes a renowned general. But her strength is undermined by a cruel twist: she’s vulnerable to poison and ultimately loses her sight, stripped of both power and independence.Out of nowhere, a mysterious sage appears and offers her aid. Instead of returning to her old life or seeking refuge in her former camp, she begins anew, arriving at a camp where the male lead resides. From there, their paths intertwine.
The story centers on two parallel journeys: the male lead, consumed by his quest for revenge, and the female lead, who quietly searches for a place she can finally call home. Once a feared general who wore a mask to hide her pain and authority, she now stands powerless, stripped of her title, her sight, and her past. But in this fragile state, she finds something unexpected: love.
As their bond deepens, questions arise, will they build a home together, raising a new generation beneath a banner of peace? Could there even be a little "baby general" one day, inheriting courage from both parents? Or will the weight of vengeance and trauma leave them forever wandering, destined to have no home at all?
Only time will tell if love can heal what war and duty have broken
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Elementary feminism
A very good story, but assembled and filmed in an absolutely pathetic way. In reality, the series is very blurry with unnecessary dialogues for these actions and presented according to a script, so the series is too elementary and indifferent. And for the way of presentation, the unnecessary dialogues increase the series by 1/3 if not more time, which is unacceptable. Poor direction and light control allow the series to profess too elementary feminism, experience as much as the meaning of "being a woman" and taint this. The actress is good, but she is not for this role. There are some main actions that are shortened by screen time at the expense of meaningless dialogue. At times, the dialogues are too pathetic and stupid - words that in reality will never be said. This shows the low quality of the actual script and the weak direction. Overall, the series is too pathetic to be promoted despite the good acting of the main character and the silence in many episodes. Until the details are worked out down to the smallest detail, we will have misunderstandings like this...Was this review helpful to you?
Old Story new faces
I love both leads but this story simply can't keep me interested. First of all, I miss the main villain, and it looks like brave girl searching for new hobby instead revenge. A fragile lady in man undercover, but in what universe someone would think she looks like male. The romantic exchanges between the leads were cringe. This is from the dramas where I feel sorry for the actors. With better scrip and directing they could achieve much more. The only thing worth watching are the fighting scenes, The choreo was outstanding. The only reason this could get 6.5.Was this review helpful to you?
Worth watching, amazing drama
I'm not used to writing reviews but I wanted to encourage the ratings of this drama. I'm an European woman so I'll restrain from writing too much...I'm afraid that something will be misinterpreted. The acting and fighting skills of the two main characters are amazing. I know that there's a lot of back up and technical management but nevertheless...it's AMAZING. Keep doing dramas of this level and the whole world will only watch Chinese and Koreans dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
Best historical drama of the year
This show is amazing im like 3/4 done with it. With most shows i have to fast forward useless plots and storylines but i never have to fast forward this show. Theres action on every episode and romance too. They had the typical misunderstanding that always happens in cdramas but they didnt draw it out like on most shows and waste several episodes. So i was happy for that! Love how strong female character is! Many dramas have them start off strong and capable then somehow always get captured and hurt later on but shes stayed consistently strong! This writer is on point! As long as neither lead dies at the end ill keep this a 10/10 review!Was this review helpful to you?
flawed, but lots to love
it started stronger than it ended, and it’s undoubtedly a flawed execution but i stillencourage you to try it. there’s so much here that works. the leads have buckets of chemistry, they act well, their characters are genuinely cool, the ideas of the plot are nice even if the execution leaves to be desired, its shot beautifully, etc.
the male lead is a joy to watch in this, very good actor. i look forward to any other of his projects in the future.
consider all these things, and if you like the story of mulan, watch it!
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I can't fault this drama - was hooked from the get go!
I have only watched a handful of Chinese dramas and have also dropped a couple but this drama wow. The two leads had amazing chemistry giving me goosebumps with every encounter. The fight scenes were so well done full of excitement and everything was beautifully captured with an OST complimented the scenes so well.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
First watch Drama, than Read novel
1st advice: See the drama first and then read novel.The Casting is perfect. Actor who play ML.... the way his eye talk, his expression.... is chef kiss. I love Zhou Li acting who played He Yan role. She perfect fit with every types characters whether it's serious role or bubbly, funny, cute girl type of role. All the action scene were perfect well co-ordinated specially between ML & FL.
Also, the supporting cast were also very good.
When the teaser first drop, I was so excited because at that time I haven't read the novel yet as I was waiting for the translation to get complete. As soon as I saw the teaser, I bling read the whole novel.
Now come my little disappointment with new regulation of Chinese drama.
As per new regulation, C-drama will only have episodes upto 40 and if the it's necessary to have more than 40 episodes than second season can do but that too after 6months of last airing of S1 of the same drama. Due to which this drama was cut short.
Now my rant which could contain spoilers
I am okay with no rebirth plot but unnecessary of misunderstanding that Xiao Jun have after downing He Yan truth. It wasn't in the novel. Also, the wedding plot, from what I remembered it wasn't in the novel too. Further, SL obsession with Henan wasn't in the novel too, why you need to add it. IT WAS UNNECESSARY. The battle in last episode actually happened after their marriage and He Yan was with General Yan and his battalion. Never come to recuse help Xiao Jun.
Further, when I read the novel I was excited to see how the film those battle scenes from Jiyang where He Yan actually battle in water and Garrison attack by WuTao people where she killed 3 wutao people. But when I saw the actual scenes it wasn't same as descriptive in the novel. I am kind of disappointed with these 2 battle scenes.
Writer gege/ Writer Jiějiě you change many thing but can't you changed General Yan fate, too. As a person who love the novel, my heart pain for him and his furen.
There are things which are changed from the novel and for me....... some are good, and some aren't.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love the moon, yet the moon doesn't know.
I cannot begin to say how much I was looking forward to this release of the drama. As soon as I heard about it, I added it to my list (in January). The story itself (the novel) was very well written and very captivating. They have also done a very good job with the drama adaptation, though I felt some parts were lacking, like the war in Rundu City, the reveal of the identity and the ending.The actors have done a great job, especially Ryan Cheng, loved him and his acting, as well as Zhang Kang Le. The production, VFX make you feel very engrossed in the time period and the story. I would 100% rewatch my favourite scenes.
The chemistry between the actors was also pretty good to watch and added a smooth flow to the drama.
All in all, a gripping watch for period drama lovers.
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