Not My Usual Genre, But Bai Lu Made Arsenal Military Academy Worth the Watch
Let me start this review by saying that dramas set in military settings are not usually my cup of tea, especially the ones set in the 1900s to 1940s. So why did I watch Arsenal Military Academy?
For Bai Lu, of course! Ever since I washed her in Till The End of The Moon, I wanted to see more of her works. So I did some research and I found that AMA was one of her more notable works.
And she did not disappoint! By now I’ve watched four of her dramas and regardless of their quality, I can say for sure that she is a versatile actress and she puts in the work required for her roles.
In AMA she plays Xie Xiang, a woman who dresses up as a boy to enter the Arsenal Military Academy to fulfill the dream of her deceased older brother. The drama is set in 1910s and during world war I. Japan is an invading force and has significant military and commercial power in China and the Chinese government is not strong enough to repel them in this period (I don't have much historical information on this period in China, so I don't know if there is any truth to it). So in this setting Xie Xiang pretends to be a boy in the academy and there, he meets several students who later become her close friends and allies, including Gu Yanzhen (the first male lead and romantic interest) and Shen Junshan (2nd lead and rival to Gu Yanzhen).
This is the overall premise. Now, let's get to the actual review. I'll start with the positives:
Great production quality: If I can say the strongest aspect of this drama, it would be sets, costumes, makeup and the overall production. And honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. In every C-drama I watched, production quality has always been their strongest point and in AMA it is no different .The sets, the costumes, hairstyles of different characters in different settings along with the grayish and muted color palette of the picture truly transports you to the depressive and grim atmosphere of that era. So, 10/10 for overall production and sets.
Songs and OSTs: AMA doesn't have many OSTs or original songs. There are perhaps two songs, but they're used effectively during parts of the story and manage to convey the feelings well.
Casting: Very good; All the main and secondary cast played their parts very well, which is another strong aspect of C-dramas. Even if the script is subpar, you can count on the performance to carry the drama;
Editing: Even though it's 48 episodes long, I didn't feel that it dragged or was boring.
Okay now let's go to the negatives, which unfortunately are mostly about the script and some narrative choices.
The plot and premise of AMA is pretty straightforward and isn't complex. Sure, there are scheming characters and antagonists within the story who try to enact their evil plans, but there's really no complicated storylines that require you to remember something of past episodes. AMA mostly focuses on Xie Xiang and her friends in the academy and follows their story from their registration to their graduation. So, all in all, it was a fun and easy watch except for a few things:.
There were too many convenient encounters between characters that logically shouldn't have been at the right time and place and it seems that the writers just wanted events A, B, C, … to happen regardless of their logic.
Some characters are killed more because of the melodrama rather than the logical and natural plot progression.
There's no strong villain in AMA; actually there is one that could be called “the main villain” of the drama, but when it comes down to making effective decisions, she’s just incompetent and is not a strong villain.
Enemies are dumb and most of the time there is plot armor for our heroes; the enemies bullets can't hit them 97% of the time.
And these are my major gripes with AMA. But other than these, there are other things that make AMA a one-time watch for me, but they are purely a matter of taste.
One of them is that I don't like period dramas set in 1900’s to 1940s. I don't know if it's because of world war I, the tight and short hairstyles and the grey tone the films set in this era or just the oppressive and the bleak overall feel it gives; I just don't like it.
But it doesn't mean that it's not well made and acted. So if you like to see Bai Lu play in a different role and pretending to be a boy soldier, definitely give AMA a try. But for me, there's no rewatch for this one.
For Bai Lu, of course! Ever since I washed her in Till The End of The Moon, I wanted to see more of her works. So I did some research and I found that AMA was one of her more notable works.
And she did not disappoint! By now I’ve watched four of her dramas and regardless of their quality, I can say for sure that she is a versatile actress and she puts in the work required for her roles.
In AMA she plays Xie Xiang, a woman who dresses up as a boy to enter the Arsenal Military Academy to fulfill the dream of her deceased older brother. The drama is set in 1910s and during world war I. Japan is an invading force and has significant military and commercial power in China and the Chinese government is not strong enough to repel them in this period (I don't have much historical information on this period in China, so I don't know if there is any truth to it). So in this setting Xie Xiang pretends to be a boy in the academy and there, he meets several students who later become her close friends and allies, including Gu Yanzhen (the first male lead and romantic interest) and Shen Junshan (2nd lead and rival to Gu Yanzhen).
This is the overall premise. Now, let's get to the actual review. I'll start with the positives:
Great production quality: If I can say the strongest aspect of this drama, it would be sets, costumes, makeup and the overall production. And honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. In every C-drama I watched, production quality has always been their strongest point and in AMA it is no different .The sets, the costumes, hairstyles of different characters in different settings along with the grayish and muted color palette of the picture truly transports you to the depressive and grim atmosphere of that era. So, 10/10 for overall production and sets.
Songs and OSTs: AMA doesn't have many OSTs or original songs. There are perhaps two songs, but they're used effectively during parts of the story and manage to convey the feelings well.
Casting: Very good; All the main and secondary cast played their parts very well, which is another strong aspect of C-dramas. Even if the script is subpar, you can count on the performance to carry the drama;
Editing: Even though it's 48 episodes long, I didn't feel that it dragged or was boring.
Okay now let's go to the negatives, which unfortunately are mostly about the script and some narrative choices.
The plot and premise of AMA is pretty straightforward and isn't complex. Sure, there are scheming characters and antagonists within the story who try to enact their evil plans, but there's really no complicated storylines that require you to remember something of past episodes. AMA mostly focuses on Xie Xiang and her friends in the academy and follows their story from their registration to their graduation. So, all in all, it was a fun and easy watch except for a few things:.
There were too many convenient encounters between characters that logically shouldn't have been at the right time and place and it seems that the writers just wanted events A, B, C, … to happen regardless of their logic.
Some characters are killed more because of the melodrama rather than the logical and natural plot progression.
There's no strong villain in AMA; actually there is one that could be called “the main villain” of the drama, but when it comes down to making effective decisions, she’s just incompetent and is not a strong villain.
Enemies are dumb and most of the time there is plot armor for our heroes; the enemies bullets can't hit them 97% of the time.
And these are my major gripes with AMA. But other than these, there are other things that make AMA a one-time watch for me, but they are purely a matter of taste.
One of them is that I don't like period dramas set in 1900’s to 1940s. I don't know if it's because of world war I, the tight and short hairstyles and the grey tone the films set in this era or just the oppressive and the bleak overall feel it gives; I just don't like it.
But it doesn't mean that it's not well made and acted. So if you like to see Bai Lu play in a different role and pretending to be a boy soldier, definitely give AMA a try. But for me, there's no rewatch for this one.
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