This review may contain spoilers
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.
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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