esiom

Well, it has some slight romance because of the 2 main pairings HOWEVER it's very weak imo.

It made no sense why Ping Jing and Lin Xi would fall for each other - they have some scenes together but you can't tell from those they even like each other, why they do or when it started. Lin Xi just stares, Ping Jing just sits. If it weren't for the other characters hinting them they like each other and the pre-arranged marriage by the parents when they were born, I would have never guessed they were supposed to be a couple. My guess is that they either forgot to write scenes, or they cut their scenes. Also Lin Xi as character is a bit out of place, I don't really see why she was necessary to be included in the plot, and as a main character above that.

About Ping Zhang and Meng Xue, they are married and they are quite a strong couple. I loved their scenes towards the middle of the series. Unfortunately, we don't get enough of their backstory and they don't have much screentime together. However, those small scenes they had - they absolutely delivered.

Seo Yeong might be my favourite character all time.

Also, I enjoyed watching the relationships between characters more than I enjoyed watching the ML - FL pairing. I think the supporting cast did an amazing job, and made this series so enjoyable.

I think that as well. I don't really care that much about if she looks credible as a boy or not honestly, but a lot of people do, this is why I mentioned it in the comment.

Let's not forget that those were different times, so the way they recognized gender might have been influenced by things like clothing, speech, hairstyle, makeup and perfume (expected from women), gestures (for example when greeting, men and women do different signs).

Even in modern world, I am not confident that I could correctly identify someone as a woman if she has short hair, no makeup, no earrings and piercings, very small bust size, deep voice etc. Combine that with acting like a boy and you might get me fooled.

I think it's a good thing that he knows she's a woman from quite early on - otherwise the situation might have gotten incredibly messy, but I have to agree with you - she acts like a girl in love way more than a boy. I really wonder what relationship they had before the war - were they that close? If so, why didn't he recognize her earlier, and why can't he at least notice the BIG height difference between her and her brother / cousin that attended the court instead of her?

Thanks for the information, I really didn't know that. My guess was that there are a lot of asian dramas fans in general, so many of them aren't into reading the novels. But since the novel is this popular as you pointed out, there might be the case that, at least currently, many of the viewers came from it.

I will give it a try, it's been a while since I read a novel, and I'm really interested in seeing how it was translated to a cdrama. Usually they have a bit of a different vibe; with cdramas we expect certain things; novels are allowed to be more creative and are not restricted (too much) by censorship. And there the portrayal of the characters might be blend more seamless into the story.

Maybe a bit of unpopular opinion, but if you have to excuse the way the characters act as "this was the way they were written in the novel", and the way FL looks as "you just have to turn off your brain", maybe the drama itself is not that good... because what are you left with? Comedy and romance until now. Is that the premise of the drama?

I'll repeat again, this drama is enjoyable, but not for the reasons people were hyped about before seeing it. And when most of you will grow up (ie. getting the ability to see past the fluffy romance and comedy), you will see that there are very few good, well-written serious cdramas, and this could have been a gem if it delivered what people expected.

I admit that my expectations were badly chosen because I didn't read the novel in the first place, but I'm sure as well that there weren't that many people who read it before either.

1. There are way more dramas that are ruined because of female lead stupidity than the FLs being strong; and the FL being strong should have been expected from the title. A bit of clickbait if you ask me.

2. I don't have a problem with her having this personality; but I have a problem with the writers expecting us to believe she became a general with this personality. She is (currently) missing key traits like seriosity, leadership and assertiveness. People don't follow someone who looks like is just there to have fun, even if that someone is skilled and smart. She is a good solider, but that's not enough. One explanation could be that people used to follow the strong ones back then, or that the emperor gave her a grade based on her merits... but that doesn't mean she is suited for that role. Or at least that's how I view it.

Which animated movie series are you talking about? I'm interested to see them as well :)

Yes, I actually really liked that she agreed with the execution of that guy, and with the punishment of the others for leaving someone behind (that wolf part). It shows that she understands how things work in the army, and what the greater good is.

I just feel that a general so well-known and decorated would have a way different attitude when interacting with people. I don't really like this cutesy-vibrant-energetic-impulsive way of doing it (not sure how close the 2 main characters were before the war). Someone who is responsible for commanding entire armies wouldn't act like that, and it's hard to believe she can change her personality that fast (unless she's really putting on an act).

Thanks for the recommendation, I was just browsing to see if there are any dramas that would match what I was thriving for!

Honestly I'm a bit disappointed, I waited so long for this drama... I was expecting something more serious; an actual female general lead is not that common in cdramas and I was so excited for it. We lack strong female leads, and we lack good war dramas.

However, this feels like a light romantic cdrama... which is not bad in itself, I still like it, it's just that the tone is way different than what I pictured.

I just feel like it's a bit of a waste of cast, title and idea.

Please please please let Moon Chae Won be the FL... they talked about this in a radio call after Flower of Evil - about working on a 3rd project together in a historical drama or romantic comedy...

"Then let's make a promise. If there is an outstanding historical drama, DoCha will continue in that. "
"Sure"
" 'If there's a great historical drama, I'd like to work with you again. I'll do it' "
"Yes, I will"

Watch the full call, it it's pure gold, I love them so much: https://youtu.be/XkEnXaDEgIk?t=632.

That's a great review! Maybe the korean culture is different, but I really didn't like a lot of the things that happened in this show. You said exactly what I was thinking about the main characters.

Well what other kdramas are ongoing currently? Not much to watch...

About Study Group and Moving.

Study Group didn't pretend to be a serious drama. The first episode is already over the top, the music, the action scenes are like you are watching an anime (or, in this case, a webtoon). Even if the characters themselves are very straightforward, stretched to the extremes, it feels like it fits the show's tone perfectly.

Moving was a show that put a lot of emphasis on both character development and the relationships between the characters. I found it to be more "deep" than many other dramas, and it blends with the action really well - you can feel the bonding, you can sense very well the moments when characters are feeling safe, when talking, hanging out etc.

Good Boy, on the other hand, it feels like it's missing an identity in some way. It tries to do everything, but the genres that are blended together feel very disconnected. There is a huge, strange gap between the action scenes, romance scenes, office scenes. They feel like they belong to different dramas.

I thought I will like this drama a lot, but I found it really boring for some reason. Great chemistry and unusual characters though.

I actually like that they went ahead with the ML - FL couple. They are both equally shit, terrible human beings, they deserved each other.

Eo Heoung dodged a bullet. I feel bad for him because he gave his all during the series.

They also won't mention how there are almost no other (good) korean shows airing right now, so there is no competition.

There is no fucking way a gold medalist in any sport acts like this. Gold medalists have discipline. They have years of training, they are taught to stay calm under pressure, to not rush things, to analyze their opponents moves etc.

What we get for the ML is a joke, I can't believe in the slightest that he could have won a gold medal in boxing. Or yes, if he hurt his head.

I agree that the actors are doing a good job.

HOWEVER, the characters are really really bland. I don't understand why you are saying "multi-faceted characters and not just the same carbon copy of male or female leads" part. Of course, they are not your normal ML and FL: the ML is way more childish and immature than 95% of the other MLs. The FL is fine, she is a bit introverted, but I don't see that much depth in her character either. As I said somewhere else, the villain is a breath of fresh air as well, I really like the approach with him.

Also, you are a bit paranoic. People here are not hating on the actors themselves, they are just disappointed that they were given shit roles. They dislike the characters. And I don't think anyone has time to create accounts just to hate on actors. You should understand that your opinion might not be the general opinion.

Completely agree. You shouldn't be mixing tones just the sake of it.

I think the villain is quite interesting, he is powerful not because of his fighting skills, but because of his wickedness and his ability to play "unfair". What bothers me though is that I find ML to be very irritating. He's very childish and he never thinks about consequences. I wonder how he got a gold medal at boxing, because he has no discipline whatsoever.

Also, is anyone else feeling that the episodes are quite short? Every episode feels like a build up, and then it just ends. Then we start from scratch again.

I had higher expectations from Park Bo Gum after WLGYT, this kind of role just doesn't cut it