K-Drama 
5
47
2
2
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
The Legend of the Female Pig Butcher
‒Review‒
"He's so handsome, no wonder Big Sis saved him from the snow ... Nonsense, it's about saving lives, not looks." This exchange between the FL Fang Changyu and her kid sister dives into the heart of show. Then, as FCY wipes Zhang Linghe's face gently with a towel as the camera pans in, we then get a close-up of the two girls looking wide-eyed and mesmerized. "Wowww," they let out a sigh of amazement. So why is Pursuit of Jade the international hit costume drama of 2026. Why? Because it's woww-so-pretty in its visual cinematography, and most of all its actors.
There's really no point for me to do a deep dive into the plot as it's the visuals that will pull you in, and the visuals that will convince you how much it's about 'saving lives' or errhmm the story.
What I liked
✅Director, Director, Director - Zeng Qingjie is now the God of Idol Dramas, able to elevate good looking people to new heights. And it's also the colors, camera shots, etc., nuances I'm too clueless to articulate except that it's obvious enough to be much more aesthetically pleasing. Other dramas that come to mind: A Dream of Splendor and Road to Splendor, which even had captivating real landscape shots.
✅Visual story telling - And it's also how Director Zeng uses the camera and editing to tell the story. He's able to take the same basic script, but tell it in a way that make the characters and story seem much more profound. I watched for 18 episodes because he provided the anticipation of profound characters and an epic story.
✅Tian Xiwei - She's been known for being a cute, innocent girl in other dramas. PoJ highlights how she has been elevating her acting game. Here, she's able to deliver credible action-oriented scenes, whether butchering pigs or fighting bandits. And embody a credible attitude of a orphaned pig butcher and medieval village peasant, good enough for idol anyways. I also liked her portrayal of the princess in Guardians of Dafeng where she was able to humorously deliver the obnoxious, entitled airhead princess, but also the character growth. And held her own as the rookie cop alongside a veteran cast in the non-idol drama 'Born with Luck'.
✅Zhang 'Saving Lives' Linghe - Without gege, this show wouldn't exist or become an international sensation. With the help of Director Zeng, ZLH was able to look more natural as a wounded general. Granted, part of that was director's magic, as he skillfully hid ZLH from extended expressive scenes, and relied on angles and editing cuts to bolster the effect of his acting.
✅Deng Kai and Snow Kong - same thing, look good + directorial magic
✅Humor and action - both were well done, and helped keep me around for 18 eps.
What I didn't like
❌Zhang 'Gap-Year-General' Linghe - The enemies are plotting, a grave threat to the kingdom is looming, and the most fearsome heroic general is out in the countryside selling his looks for $3.50 a pound with a side of pig entrails
❌Military Strategy - WhyTF even bother with generals when you can just recruit an army of female pig butchers to crush the enemy. They can kick ass, look good, and even take care of the butchering and cooking. And they'll take a lot more than a 20% pay cut compared to men and not unionize. Just convert your male generals to backup duty for those few days every month. Seriously WhoTF is wasting this strategic arbitrage?? Did Hegseth transmigrate into ancient China??
❌The Story - unfortunately not nearly as impressive. Hearing about plot crashes ahead, I didn't see the point of sticking around after 18 sped-up episodes.
So can we just make Female Pig Butchers the next aspirational role for female empowerment? There's been enough female generals, I think pig butcher is a much more representative that affects more lives. The ratio of pig butchers to generals in medieval China must be 1000-1. It's time to focus on where the people are.
--Category Ratings--
- Overall - 6
- Plot - 5
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 6
- Acting - 7.5
- Visuals - 9
- Audio / Music - 8.5
- Rewatch - 5.5
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 8
- Subtitle quality - 8.5
"He's so handsome, no wonder Big Sis saved him from the snow ... Nonsense, it's about saving lives, not looks." This exchange between the FL Fang Changyu and her kid sister dives into the heart of show. Then, as FCY wipes Zhang Linghe's face gently with a towel as the camera pans in, we then get a close-up of the two girls looking wide-eyed and mesmerized. "Wowww," they let out a sigh of amazement. So why is Pursuit of Jade the international hit costume drama of 2026. Why? Because it's woww-so-pretty in its visual cinematography, and most of all its actors.
There's really no point for me to do a deep dive into the plot as it's the visuals that will pull you in, and the visuals that will convince you how much it's about 'saving lives' or errhmm the story.
What I liked
✅Director, Director, Director - Zeng Qingjie is now the God of Idol Dramas, able to elevate good looking people to new heights. And it's also the colors, camera shots, etc., nuances I'm too clueless to articulate except that it's obvious enough to be much more aesthetically pleasing. Other dramas that come to mind: A Dream of Splendor and Road to Splendor, which even had captivating real landscape shots.
✅Visual story telling - And it's also how Director Zeng uses the camera and editing to tell the story. He's able to take the same basic script, but tell it in a way that make the characters and story seem much more profound. I watched for 18 episodes because he provided the anticipation of profound characters and an epic story.
✅Tian Xiwei - She's been known for being a cute, innocent girl in other dramas. PoJ highlights how she has been elevating her acting game. Here, she's able to deliver credible action-oriented scenes, whether butchering pigs or fighting bandits. And embody a credible attitude of a orphaned pig butcher and medieval village peasant, good enough for idol anyways. I also liked her portrayal of the princess in Guardians of Dafeng where she was able to humorously deliver the obnoxious, entitled airhead princess, but also the character growth. And held her own as the rookie cop alongside a veteran cast in the non-idol drama 'Born with Luck'.
✅Zhang 'Saving Lives' Linghe - Without gege, this show wouldn't exist or become an international sensation. With the help of Director Zeng, ZLH was able to look more natural as a wounded general. Granted, part of that was director's magic, as he skillfully hid ZLH from extended expressive scenes, and relied on angles and editing cuts to bolster the effect of his acting.
✅Deng Kai and Snow Kong - same thing, look good + directorial magic
✅Humor and action - both were well done, and helped keep me around for 18 eps.
What I didn't like
❌Zhang 'Gap-Year-General' Linghe - The enemies are plotting, a grave threat to the kingdom is looming, and the most fearsome heroic general is out in the countryside selling his looks for $3.50 a pound with a side of pig entrails
❌Military Strategy - WhyTF even bother with generals when you can just recruit an army of female pig butchers to crush the enemy. They can kick ass, look good, and even take care of the butchering and cooking. And they'll take a lot more than a 20% pay cut compared to men and not unionize. Just convert your male generals to backup duty for those few days every month. Seriously WhoTF is wasting this strategic arbitrage?? Did Hegseth transmigrate into ancient China??
❌The Story - unfortunately not nearly as impressive. Hearing about plot crashes ahead, I didn't see the point of sticking around after 18 sped-up episodes.
So can we just make Female Pig Butchers the next aspirational role for female empowerment? There's been enough female generals, I think pig butcher is a much more representative that affects more lives. The ratio of pig butchers to generals in medieval China must be 1000-1. It's time to focus on where the people are.
--Category Ratings--
- Overall - 6
- Plot - 5
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 6
- Acting - 7.5
- Visuals - 9
- Audio / Music - 8.5
- Rewatch - 5.5
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 8
- Subtitle quality - 8.5
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