ronnie091

I was excited for this because any Mulan-type story gets me hyped. The drama delivered in that department for the first 10-12 eps or so. I loved watching He Yan trying her best to make it as a soldier, fit in with the guys, and impress the boss. And it was fairly easy for her because she already has the skills and mind of a general. Her strength and intelligence throughout the entire drama impressed me. I've only seen Zhou Ye in Everyone Loves Me and Back from the Brink before, so I wasn't if she was going to be able to pull off a serious wuxia. But I think she has a natural gift for portraying pretty but tomboy roles so I was really happy with this casting. There was also no doubt in my mind that Cheng Lei would pull off his role. I will admit that I don't prefer stoic MLs and did not like his character in My Journey to You. Yet I can't deny how well Cheng Lei has acted in both roles. And although Xiao Jue was a great fit for CL, he was just an okay character for me.
Unfortunately, due to the poor writing and story telling in the last half of the drama, the romance as a whole turned out underwhelming. The chemistry was definitely stronger before the couple confessed to each other. Then the love story just got completely lost in the last quarter. Which I could deal with if the conclusion of the plot was handled better. But watching the last 3-5 eps felt torturous and unnecessary. I still liked more than I disliked in this drama but I couldn't give a higher rating solely based on how disappointing the story was towards the end. I am tempted to read the novel because I've heard the story is significantly different and told better.