DramaloverPanda

Did I enjoy this drama? Yes. Did I find myself pausing to scroll through my phone or pressing the fast forward button? Also yes, especially in the last ten episodes. This is the kind of drama that is perfect for the hopeless romantics looking for that cold faced male lead that firmly chooses and sticks to his choice or a witty female lead that goes against normal conventions.

He Yan is forced to bear her brother's identity at a young age and is raised as a boy covered with a mask at all times. She spends well over a decade of her life as a boy/man going from child to boy in Academy to man that rises in the ranks of the military. But once her brother is recovered he demands his name back and tries to eliminate her to cover the switch. While I love that He Yan is tenacious, witty, and unbreakably resilient I also find her portrayal of a man not as convincing. For someone raised from childhood to hide her identity as a woman she should be more cautious, guarded, or even more crass to an extent. Behaviors that would have naturally been learned from being in a man's environment. But He Yan doesn't really portray that making her disguise as a boy not very convincing. I could still look beyond that as I like the character so much but then there were instances where her tough, ironlike General mentality would be reduced to damsel in distress status in an instant that would make me angry. For example, she manages to defeat and kill a major enemy while fighting on horseback in shallow water just to then fall into the water as if she is drowning and then needs to be saved by the male lead. First, where are the men she was fighting with? Not one of them was left alive? Also the water was shallow enough for the horses to walk in but deep enough to drown in? AND THEN here comes the male lead who was busy fighting the main force in a completely different place but gets there just in time to save her. Really? Come on. Why couldn't she have this victory and return with the head of the enemy? Then you have getting distracted and crying in the middle of a battle just because she lost sight of him for a moment? He character would never! She is supposed to be a hardened warrior that survived battle after battle but is now simpering and crying to the point that she is almost killed in the middle of an important battle? Absolutely not.

Xiao Jue I like quite alot. His portrayal of the stoic, hard, and straight laced General is acted to perfection. His micro-expressions are top notch. He is that cold, aloof man that is forced to carry the entire family burden young and has no idea how to relax. And once he decides on He Yan? His steadfast and immovable heart will make any girl swoon. But he lacks any real character development. His background isn't fully explored, his progression from suspicion to attraction isn't given the acknowledgment it deserved, even his prowess as a leader isn't very well represented. Overall he is mostly there to be the eye candy and to save the damsel without restraint. Do I enjoy that about him? Yes. Could he be so much more? Yes.

Then there is so much screen time given to side characters that end up not contributing to the story. The second couple are nice for comedic relief at times as well as sidekicks to the mains at others, but their romance was pretty unnecessary. Chu Zhao was one of the most explored characters and had so much build up for him to ruined right at the end for the cheap drama. The villains lacked suspense and conviction. Bai Shu who portrayed He Rufei was done dirty with this script. His acting in this drama is probably my least favorite from anything I have seen him in. And can we mention the bright colored blood and lack of effort put into wounds? This show seems so high budget but then they didn't even color the blood properly or bother to tear clothing to make wounds and battles feel real.

Overall this drama is completely fine. Especially if you are watching for a fairly healthy romance. But don't expect a great plot.