I finished this drama today. The last 6 episodes were "Express" on WeTV meaning you could access all Express shows if you paid an additional amount.
I really enjoyed every single episode, and I thought the drama was a good mix of action and political intrigue. I started watching it, knowing only the title and having seen the FL in two of her earlier shows. I didn't see the trailer nor read the novel. From what I can tell, most of the people disappointed in this show said (my comments in italics and spoiler tagged, as needed).
- It should have matched the trailer.
- IMO, trailers are meant to generate interest. Often, trailers are made up of the "best" parts (most exciting?) and are edited together. Doing this may generate more interest but will rarely reflect the actual drama series's ebb and flow.
- The FL didn't look like a "real man."
- This comment made me laugh a bit, because I'm not sure what a "real man" is supposed to look like. Even within the garrison, FL was called a pretty boy; there were other other short, slight men as well, including Cheng Li Su. Even the ML is not particularly buff but he is taller. Then, you have the other extreme in Wang Ba, FL's amazing archer friend who stutters.
- The FL should not have gone back to dress as a woman.
- In ep. 15, Xiao Jue and He Yan enter Jiyang as a married couple. I thought their time in Jiyang was empowering for He Yan who had been forced to dressed in men's clothing by her parents when she was very young, then continued to do so when she joined the Fuyue Army. Then, again, at the Garrison, she continued to dress in men's clothing just to be able to enlist. While at Jiyang, He Yan is finally able to reclaim a part of herself, her womanhood. Needless to say, I didn't understand what was wrong about the FL dressing as a woman.
- It didn't follow the novel.
- This is a very common complaint whenever a source material is not followed to a tee. But a drama series is limited in time and budget and will rarely be able to follow the novel exactly. Even the Harry Potter series which had a huge budget combined characters, omitted some, etc.
- The FL was a "happy-go-lucky person (unlike a person who's going through the pain of being used, poisoned, dumped, and finally killed by her very own family)."
- Putting on the persona of a happy person was a facade the FL used effectively. In fact, the FL acted her truest self mainly in front of Xiao Jue, an old classmate she was hoping would recognize her. She would call him Xiao Jue instead of Commander when they were alone. She only opened up to him and felt safe with him. She wanted to be truly seen by him, not realizing that he started truly seeing her when they were in their teens in the academy together.
Personally, I would have liked to know when Master Liu became He Yan's 师傅 (Shīfù) and when she was taught by Xiao Jue's father, Xiao Zhong Wu, who gave each of them a sword. It's not crucial information, but it will clarify some things for me.
DJViking:
