He is such a very good actor: versatile, he can perfectly pull off main roles (that is to say 'important role' because he hasn't played a lead role yet) or support roles, nice or ambivalent/bad guys... I'm really impressed by his sincere talent
The episodes are uploaded every Monday on TRAME Studio's official YouTube channel :) and here is the teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3btY29gZRDA
OK so I'm at episode 17 and I don't know if I will continue to watch it (no spoiler review) So, first, this drama has many qualities: potential in binge watching because there's a certain suspens, costumes are somptuous (this velvet fashion is so 2018 though), sets are quite beautiful and props are great, the chemistry between the teenagers is cute and heartwarming. Among the actors: Xu Kai and Wu Jia Li really stand out and make everything most interesting. They're some very funny moments with the cross-dressing trope. Certain roles are in fact interesting (the only real ones I can think of are Manting and Oda Hiroshi but I'm midway in the drama).
BUT, now, the flaws:
- story: not original (which for a drama is not a real problem) nor well written (that is a real problem, especially if combines with no originality). I dont know for you but I just don't care about the majority of what's happening to anyone in this drama. Nothing is at stake and the exposition of the backstories of the characters is so dispersed and uninteresting that I can't even remember why each and everyone of the characters exist. I just watch for the cross-dressing laughs and the love triangle. - the pace: 48 episodes?? That's too much. Since episode 1 there's too many unnecessary scenes and dialogues/monologues fillers - the female lead. Main problem here! Xie Xiang's character is so bland, so useless there's no way first: that any man can fall in love with her, second: that her real gender wasn't discovered by every person she crossed path with since episode 1. She's a real Mary Sue in disguise behind the poorly fake apparence of a strong woman. I'm so disappointed. All I can't remember seing her do is saying 'What' at everything that's happening and staring awkwardly and stubbornly at the opposite direction of Xu Kai's character. All the others girls in this dramas have much more consistency and personality (and 'likeableity') than her. - the second male lead. One of the most emptiest tsundere I've ever seen. Can a character like this can have any developpment at all? - the anonymous soldiers, military: they're so inept they can't shoot straight and aim at little kids. And of course, we've got the famous 'Let's attack one by one'. The drama is called 'Arsenal Military Academy' setting in an unstable era. I expected much more realism, even for a 15+ drama. - second and third roles : brainless and annoying. Like: let's act stupidly (the students in episode 16-17, everything that Yan Zhen's sister does), let's dismiss secrets loudly and with doors open (everytime Xie Xiang's friend open the mouth), lets argue endlessly with no witty dialogues at all (Yan Zen and Man Ting, Xie Xiang and other students) - always.the.same.cast: I'm getting pretty tired of seeing the same cast after watching Legend of Hao Lan, Yanxi Palace, Winter Begonia etc. It was fun once or twice but now I can't project myself into the story. It really affects the suspension of disbelief and remove the overall personality and strenght of the drama. Don't get me wrong: they're great actors and I love them but no, not to the point of seeing everyone of them together in every drama I want to watch. - girls wigs: Xie Xiang's and Man Ting's wigs are so awful goodness gracious Keep in mind that I'm only at episode 17, so there's many episodes that I need to see before making any definitive judgement but at this point I'm hopeless for any real interesting development and I just want to drop this drama...
1 
So, first, this drama has many qualities: potential in binge watching because there's a certain suspens, costumes are somptuous (this velvet fashion is so 2018 though), sets are quite beautiful and props are great, the chemistry between the teenagers is cute and heartwarming. Among the actors: Xu Kai and Wu Jia Li really stand out and make everything most interesting. They're some very funny moments with the cross-dressing trope. Certain roles are in fact interesting (the only real ones I can think of are Manting and Oda Hiroshi but I'm midway in the drama).
BUT, now, the flaws:
- story: not original (which for a drama is not a real problem) nor well written (that is a real problem, especially if combines with no originality). I dont know for you but I just don't care about the majority of what's happening to anyone in this drama. Nothing is at stake and the exposition of the backstories of the characters is so dispersed and uninteresting that I can't even remember why each and everyone of the characters exist. I just watch for the cross-dressing laughs and the love triangle.
- the pace: 48 episodes?? That's too much. Since episode 1 there's too many unnecessary scenes and dialogues/monologues fillers
- the female lead. Main problem here! Xie Xiang's character is so bland, so useless there's no way first: that any man can fall in love with her, second: that her real gender wasn't discovered by every person she crossed path with since episode 1. She's a real Mary Sue in disguise behind the poorly fake apparence of a strong woman. I'm so disappointed. All I can't remember seing her do is saying 'What' at everything that's happening and staring awkwardly and stubbornly at the opposite direction of Xu Kai's character. All the others girls in this dramas have much more consistency and personality (and 'likeableity') than her.
- the second male lead. One of the most emptiest tsundere I've ever seen. Can a character like this can have any developpment at all?
- the anonymous soldiers, military: they're so inept they can't shoot straight and aim at little kids. And of course, we've got the famous 'Let's attack one by one'. The drama is called 'Arsenal Military Academy' setting in an unstable era. I expected much more realism, even for a 15+ drama.
- second and third roles : brainless and annoying. Like: let's act stupidly (the students in episode 16-17, everything that Yan Zhen's sister does), let's dismiss secrets loudly and with doors open (everytime Xie Xiang's friend open the mouth), lets argue endlessly with no witty dialogues at all (Yan Zen and Man Ting, Xie Xiang and other students)
- always.the.same.cast: I'm getting pretty tired of seeing the same cast after watching Legend of Hao Lan, Yanxi Palace, Winter Begonia etc. It was fun once or twice but now I can't project myself into the story. It really affects the suspension of disbelief and remove the overall personality and strenght of the drama. Don't get me wrong: they're great actors and I love them but no, not to the point of seeing everyone of them together in every drama I want to watch.
- girls wigs: Xie Xiang's and Man Ting's wigs are so awful goodness gracious
Keep in mind that I'm only at episode 17, so there's many episodes that I need to see before making any definitive judgement but at this point I'm hopeless for any real interesting development and I just want to drop this drama...