Negaring

the plot is a big no

I don't mind wattpad plots and tsundre ml but not this, on the day of their wedding, he told her that she's a replacement of her sister and she basically a hostage until her sister comes back, he gave her a contract full of degrading rules, like what do you mean by saying "you can't get divorce"? isn't this against human right?
he hide her for years and mock her visibly and now, on ep10 after she found out that he was in love with her since they were child she told him that I finally found out why you make those rules, you were the one who told my sister that you're not the real baek saon so she ran away and then you get to marry me, so romantic OPPA I want to marry you again and again
????? he literally forced her to a marriage, hide her, mock her, make her life more miserable and now he's like "i do all of this bc I love you and I wanted to protect you" and surprisingly she said "thank you" 😐 girl????
also the 🇵🇸 comment? hell nah, as a country that was colonised and the people that were enslaved and massacre etc there are so many zi0 in Korea, it's kinda terrifying.
if it wasn't for the propaganda I would give it at least 6, I liked the first 6 eps, she was a Badass but after that it was annoying.
some wattpad plots are even beyond incredible, love to hate you is another wattpad plot but it was so good and so funny and so refreshing, all those cringe and cliche parts were actually funny and cute but this one is just 🤢
the acting is good, all of the cast are so good but I don't like yys, he's misogynist and disgusting, seeing his face is annoying for me, i used to like him but after knowing how disgusting he is I can't get away with him also the age gap was to obvious, he was like her father, there were so many good actors younger that yys for this role but yeah, a wasted potential, the plot could be better, they were trying to k-word each other in the first 6 eps then suddenly they act like a REAL married couple😐 you guys used to live like strangers how do you get so close suddenly?

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To be a woman is to perform,

I waited more than two years for this drama, and it did not disappoint me.

First of all, the acting:
I honestly don’t think anyone other than Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei could have portrayed these characters so perfectly. From the main leads to the extras, everything was on point, and it was such a satisfying experience to watch.
My only wish is that they had used Zhou Ye’s real voice in some scenes, especially the one where she had a fight with Chu Zhao in front of the court. Her natural voice while acting is so powerful; it gave me chills.

The production:
It wasn’t the most high-end production, obviously, but there wasn’t a single bad shot either. Personally, good production quality is very important to me, and sometimes I watch a drama just for its production value. For this drama, I can’t really say that, it wasn’t bad at all, but there were moments where I felt certain things were lacking. I truly believe they could have made it even better. Still, overall, the production and cinematography were good, not the best, but definitely solid.
That being said, I can confidently say that 90% of the budget went into the war scenes, and you can tell. Those scenes were where the drama truly shined and felt absolutely epic. They were so well done and truly deserving of praise, i watched some of them multiple times because they were just that stunning.

The story:
From what I know, many people were disappointed because the drama didn’t explore He Yan’s backstory and the hardships she went through to become a general. As someone who hasn’t read the novel and only followed the drama, I was satisfied. I think the pacing was smooth and calm. That said, I agree that adding more depth to those parts would have made the story even better.
I can’t blame the writers or the director for this, though. The 40-episode limit for adapting long Chinese novels is honestly such a big issue. You simply can’t condense thousands of chapters into forty 40-minute episodes. I’m glad this limitation is being lifted now so we can get better storytelling and higher-quality dramas in the future.
As for people saying He Yan’s behavior and words were “cringe,” I completely disagree. As a woman living in a patriarchal society, someone who has fought a real gender war for equality with my own life on the line, her words felt authentic to me, not cringey at all. I deeply related to her struggles.
Overall, I liked the way the story unfolded. Even though I didn’t read the novel, based on what others said, I also feel like focusing more on He Yan’s hardships would have made it even more powerful, but again, 40 episodes don’t allow much room for that.

Overall:
I’m just so happy this drama finally aired and I got to watch it. I really loved it and I definitely recommend it to everyone. The story was beautiful, and the dialogues were written so well. When that line came:
“Do you still like the moon?”
“Yes.”
“Then the moon is yours now.”
I was literally screaming from happiness.
He Yan was truly a strong woman, and I love seeing female-led dramas with characters like her. These kinds of stories heal something inside me that I didn’t even know existed.

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