Angel Zhao was FL in The Princess Royal. She was a force in that role . Tremendous presence.
Song Yi was FL in Destined with Bai Jing Ting. I was very impressed with her. She has a gentle yet commanding presence. Elegant and tough at the same time.
My personal picks: Someone like the FL in The Double (Wu Jin Yan) would have been my first choice. There’s also another little-known actress who was the FL in My Uncanny Destiny (Zhang Yue Nan), whose charisma blew me away—she would have been a great choice. Even Angel Zhao or Song Yi would have had the right bearing and demeanor to really wow us. I think this role could have really stretched either one. Song Yi would have been especially captivating. She seems to be a bit taller too.Also, Deng En Xi (Melody of a Golden Age) would be a great choice—taller and also not waif-ish and I enjoyed her tremendously in Melody of a Golden Age—very charismatic.
I feel sad for the 2nd male lead and was teary to what he said and what happened to him at the end.. so sad..
I don’t feel sorry for him. He punched FL in the face. That shows right there who he really was. If he had ended up with her as in the first life, he would’ve mistreated her. His remorse in the end doesn’t change who he was deep within. After everything settled down, had he survived, he would’ve just gone back to being his usual trifling self.
It’s the actress. I don’t think this role is the right fit for her.
Her size and physicality are not the issue for me. She’s actually doing well with the fight scenes. It’s that I don’t find her charismatic enough. Someone like the FL in The Double (Wu Jin Yan) would have been my choice. There’s another little-known actress who was the FL in My Uncanny Destiny (Zhang Yue Nan), whose charisma blew me away—she would have been a great choice. Even Angel Zhao or Song Yi would have had the right bearing and demeanor to really wow us. I think this role could have really stretched either one. Song Yi would have been especially captivating. She seems to be a bit taller too.
I can’t think of many tall, statuesque Chinese actressess. Most are petite. Judy Qi is rather statuesque, not your typical waif, but she’s more of a comedic actress. Actually, Deng En Xi (Melody of a Golden Age) would be a great choice—taller and also not waif-ish and I enjoyed her tremendously in Melody of a Golden Age—very charismatic.
I love to like it , but so far it looks like same old story with different actors. It is impossible not to recognize…
I so agree with you about the baby voice. OMG. I said from the getgo even before this drama started that I had doubts about the actress and turns out I was right! She’s using the baby voice!
I noticed, however, with the ML’s very feminine-looking nephew in the mix, it makes it mildly plausible that someone would mistake the FL for male too. They look very similar, both being petite and pale and pretty. Mildly plausible, but not very. The nephew still looks male despite his feminine appearance. The FL clearly looks female, lol 🤦🏾♀️.
I read the novel and dropped it because despite her tragedy, she's too cheerful and somehow it doesn't suit the…
Exactly, she’s not always matching the vibe correctly (in the drama). I haven’t read the book. But, if her character is supposed to be cheerful, then the actress is nailing it. I don’t really like the cheerful cheeky romcom vibe for this character though. It doesn’t fit, in my opinion.
Let me start with a compliment. The story development of “The Legend of the Female General” is very good. It keeps my attention very well. The flow and pace are great. I look forward to each episode.
However my criticism: In episode 3/4, FL actress starts acting like she’s in a romcom while the ML is acting like he’s in a serious drama. I feel like the FL actress lost a couple of chances to match the energy that the ML is bringing. She was literally doing aegyo in that scene after he rescued her from mountain ledge. (I know aegyo is Korean not Chinese, but the concept still applies). Thus, the drama is indeed watchable (as another commenter put it), but not truly exceptional, at this point. It’s my current favorite at the moment though. “Prisoner of Beauty” is a tough act to follow. So, my standard for “exceptional” is very high.
I feel sorry for all dramas coming out after “Prisoner of Beauty” as that is my new measuring rod for a great drama. Do the FL and ML energies match? Do both actors portray the characters with the right approach? Does the Director ensure both actors maintain the correct mood for the scene? These are the questions I ask as I watch.
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Song Yi was FL in Destined with Bai Jing Ting. I was very impressed with her. She has a gentle yet commanding presence. Elegant and tough at the same time.
Another song “My Only” is my favorite of his. I wish he could have done a duet with Whitney Houston. The powerhouse vocals of the two of them together would having been truly astounding. My Only: https://open.spotify.com/track/73nOhNPqtkx6OLHk6CSCat?si=zElCl8OAR2q-z8w814H69w.
I can’t think of many tall, statuesque Chinese actressess. Most are petite. Judy Qi is rather statuesque, not your typical waif, but she’s more of a comedic actress. Actually, Deng En Xi (Melody of a Golden Age) would be a great choice—taller and also not waif-ish and I enjoyed her tremendously in Melody of a Golden Age—very charismatic.
I noticed, however, with the ML’s very feminine-looking nephew in the mix, it makes it mildly plausible that someone would mistake the FL for male too. They look very similar, both being petite and pale and pretty. Mildly plausible, but not very. The nephew still looks male despite his feminine appearance. The FL clearly looks female, lol 🤦🏾♀️.
However my criticism: In episode 3/4, FL actress starts acting like she’s in a romcom while the ML is acting like he’s in a serious drama. I feel like the FL actress lost a couple of chances to match the energy that the ML is bringing. She was literally doing aegyo in that scene after he rescued her from mountain ledge. (I know aegyo is Korean not Chinese, but the concept still applies). Thus, the drama is indeed watchable (as another commenter put it), but not truly exceptional, at this point. It’s my current favorite at the moment though. “Prisoner of Beauty” is a tough act to follow. So, my standard for “exceptional” is very high.
I feel sorry for all dramas coming out after “Prisoner of Beauty” as that is my new measuring rod for a great drama. Do the FL and ML energies match? Do both actors portray the characters with the right approach? Does the Director ensure both actors maintain the correct mood for the scene? These are the questions I ask as I watch.