A Poetic Script and Top Tier Acting
First, I need to mention that the script was beautiful. He Yan’s moon line when they danced, Xiao Jue’s confession to He Yan when he found out how she feels about him, and Xiao Jue telling the royals and officials how he feels about He Yan.. beautiful and so well-written. I myself was swooned and repeated those scenes multiple times.
Unfortunately, if not for the poor execution, this drama could’ve been perfect. As a start, I don’t know why they named it Legend of the Female General. Throughout the story, the ‘female general’ was not spoken of, as everyone knew the General Feihong as He Rufei, a man. I guess, this title could’ve worked after it is known that General Feihong was He Yan, a woman, which does not get revealed to the world until later in the series.
Second, I wonder how He Yan managed to hide her identity as a woman back when she was General Feihong but have it be discovered easily and quickly when she entered Yezhou Garrison. Also, I love Zhou Ye for the role but her built was so feminine. The shoulders, waist, everything was definitely not a man’s. Not to mention, I question how there were times Xiao Jue saw He Yan in a mask yet did not seem to have any suspicion that she is He Rufei, or at least looked like him. I wish the producers and director could’ve executed this better.
Despite the poor execution, the actors did really well at portraying their roles, especially Cheng Lei. Cheng Lei stole the spotlight. His built is definitely made for general roles so in this sense, he was perfect to act as Xiao Jue. Moreover, his facial expressions are a masterpiece. His ability to act out emotions just through his gaze was amazing. We could clearly see whether he’s suspicious, concerned, jealous, in love, just through his eyes. We could also see the change in his feelings towards He Yan through his eyes. Also, his lowkey corner of the mouth smile towards He Yan.. lovely. I immediately fell in love and became his hardcore fan after watching him in this drama.
Zhou Ye also did a really great job at her role. Although the execution, could’ve been improved either through the story, makeup, etc, it’s a fact that Zhou Ye was great in acting out He Yan as an independent, tough, ambitious, patriotic, female general. Her chemistry and visuals were perfectly paired with Cheng Lei. I have to admit that I ship them so much proven by how I’ve rewatched this drama multiple times just to see their scenes and hear the lines in this drama. I hope they get to work on another project as main leads with a happy ending.
In terms of story, it was definitely entertaining to me. It mainly focuses on love, justice, and revenge, packed in a light tone so it was an ‘easy watch’. However, throughout the drama, we can obviously see scenes being cut that affected the flow of the story and taken away that extra ‘spice’. Furthermore, I was so annoyed by the last few episodes. They could've just given us more happy scenes instead of forcing that one crazy conflict, but on second thought, I guess it’s necessary to show the kind of love He Yan and Xiao Jue have for each other, as well as their responsibilities as Generals.
Despite the things that I think could be improved, this drama is definitely one of my favorites thanks to Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye, as well as the script.
Unfortunately, if not for the poor execution, this drama could’ve been perfect. As a start, I don’t know why they named it Legend of the Female General. Throughout the story, the ‘female general’ was not spoken of, as everyone knew the General Feihong as He Rufei, a man. I guess, this title could’ve worked after it is known that General Feihong was He Yan, a woman, which does not get revealed to the world until later in the series.
Second, I wonder how He Yan managed to hide her identity as a woman back when she was General Feihong but have it be discovered easily and quickly when she entered Yezhou Garrison. Also, I love Zhou Ye for the role but her built was so feminine. The shoulders, waist, everything was definitely not a man’s. Not to mention, I question how there were times Xiao Jue saw He Yan in a mask yet did not seem to have any suspicion that she is He Rufei, or at least looked like him. I wish the producers and director could’ve executed this better.
Despite the poor execution, the actors did really well at portraying their roles, especially Cheng Lei. Cheng Lei stole the spotlight. His built is definitely made for general roles so in this sense, he was perfect to act as Xiao Jue. Moreover, his facial expressions are a masterpiece. His ability to act out emotions just through his gaze was amazing. We could clearly see whether he’s suspicious, concerned, jealous, in love, just through his eyes. We could also see the change in his feelings towards He Yan through his eyes. Also, his lowkey corner of the mouth smile towards He Yan.. lovely. I immediately fell in love and became his hardcore fan after watching him in this drama.
Zhou Ye also did a really great job at her role. Although the execution, could’ve been improved either through the story, makeup, etc, it’s a fact that Zhou Ye was great in acting out He Yan as an independent, tough, ambitious, patriotic, female general. Her chemistry and visuals were perfectly paired with Cheng Lei. I have to admit that I ship them so much proven by how I’ve rewatched this drama multiple times just to see their scenes and hear the lines in this drama. I hope they get to work on another project as main leads with a happy ending.
In terms of story, it was definitely entertaining to me. It mainly focuses on love, justice, and revenge, packed in a light tone so it was an ‘easy watch’. However, throughout the drama, we can obviously see scenes being cut that affected the flow of the story and taken away that extra ‘spice’. Furthermore, I was so annoyed by the last few episodes. They could've just given us more happy scenes instead of forcing that one crazy conflict, but on second thought, I guess it’s necessary to show the kind of love He Yan and Xiao Jue have for each other, as well as their responsibilities as Generals.
Despite the things that I think could be improved, this drama is definitely one of my favorites thanks to Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye, as well as the script.
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