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This review may contain spoilers
Stellar acting and fantastic production delivered an emotional on-point journey
What a thrilling and emotional journey, action-packed and so inspirational. Props to a stellar acting cast, our two main leads did so well, particularly Xu Kai. The story, the premise, the historical setting, the characters were so on-point, I fell in love the first few episodes and couldn’t stop. Literally binged the whole thing in less than a week - it was that good. I rarely touch dramas with more than 30 episodes, but I was hooked on this one. Xu Kai for eye candy haha. Be warned the last 10ish episodes goes to shits and falls apart - structurally - it gets so messy and so much unnecessary death. Let’s break it down:Story
Commend, love the idea and concept. Gender bender’s usually are meh, the girl tries too hard and ends up coming across super phony. But this was good, I was convinced and she held her ground. I loved the premise of military school and going on trips and training exercises, bunking and what not. Liked the little missions, heists and just general school interactions. The good first half is stellar and I would rewatch over and over. Then... come 35 it starts to go shits up and I have no idea what’s happening. Suddenly these subplots come into play and I’m like what..? And then to top it off people start dying left right and centre, for no reason then just because oh yeah there should be a death about now. The whole ending story was super contrived, unbelievable and illogical, with no proper explanation and a lot of plot holes. So please be warned, as you enter the last episodes it gets a bit confusing and feels out of place. I feel like they could have ended it about 40 - just to the bit where they graduate. And then from beyond, it all turns to shit and becomes super unbelievable and muddled.
The romantic side of it is definitely more restrained than what you’d find. It’s more about friendship, commanderie and protecting/caring about others. The love triangles drove me crazy but it was a guilty pleasure watching them, loved all the interactions XLC had with GYZ and SJS. I personally would have liked more from XLC and GYZ, like many others if you didn’t know before, while watching the drama you’d think XLC and SJS are the mains.
Production
Just have to note what style and fashion! Loved the beautiful costume design and get ups, it fit the characters so well: Pinstripe suits with silver chains for SJS; Body length leather jackets and black boots for GYZ; Trench coats and neck ties for XLC.
Acting
Bai Lu held her ground and was amazing in her role. She totally immersed herself as a male and did it very well. Props to her. If I’m nitpicking, two things, her most common phrases are: I can’t be bothered to talk to you and what should we do now? Just came up repetitive and needed more script polishing. I thought her acting was rigid at times and I wanted more from her especially in her emotional scenes, and also because Xu Kai was doing an absolutely amazing job. I fell in love with Xu Kai slowly. He was your typical jokey, playboy, never taking anything serious. But boy did I fall. Seeing him grow, realise his feelings, fight for her, care for her and love her. His acting was superb. From his eyes, I felt what he felt and cried along with him.
Although I have to give SJS some props for his acting, what a tease he wast. He started off super cold and distant, but then started smiling and became so warm. Amazing support cast, they did a spectacular job and it all fell into place. Great characters, great team, lovable.
OST playing on repeat, fit in so well.
Rewatch Value, yes but I’d have to stop at around the 35 mark and end it there. Just felt like the ending few episodes were so messy it ruined a lot of things for me. And it would have just been better if we ended it sooner.
Overall, this drama had me laughing out loud, grinning like an idiot, sobbing like a baby and constantly on my toes with the tension. I commend everything about this drama and would 100% recommend just to watch our two main lead interactions. Keen to hear your thoughts! xx
*SPOILERS* Things to watch for I loved:
- Every time GYZ thinks he has lost her and then finds her again. That relief, care and love made me so emotional. Just from his eyes, I could feel everything he felt. He did it so well in being able to portray that emotion. He just had so much love, it was impossible to contain. And the thought of losing her was just too much, it would impossible to comprehend losing someone you love so much.
- Everytime GYZ protects her identity being blown e.g. shower scene, medical examination
- Everytime GYZ shoots on point
- SJS’s teasing moves to win her over and when he smiles at her
- Piano scene - that did it for me
- When he comes back and tells her it’s because of you I’m in love with you.
- When they’re holding hands at the dinner table
- Button scene
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First the story. It is a patriotic masterpiece and as a viewer, I realized the energy for the drama comes from the "youth" of resistance. There were lessons to be taught in so many situations that I wondered whether the writer was a revolutionist in his/her youth. Often women are put in roles to portray men and it is so unbelievable the drama is a bust. In this drama the actress was a powerhouse -- man or woman - she could be masculine and feminine without question -- which added to the quality of the drama. The historical period was worth researching just for edification of the "times and circumstances" the Chinese were facing.
The romantic backstories and bantering backward and forwards added to the success of telling a story with a military background.
The use of enough extras to add to the story and move the story forward was extremely pleasing and made the 48 episodes addictive and worth binging throughout the night time hours.
The added emotional investment in the lives of the students, teachers and all of the main characters and their lives or deaths or romantic encounters was the icing on the cake.
Acting - flawless - main, support - no weak links - total professionalism and immersion into the character played. Xu Kia was pure eye candy throughout and you had to fall in love with him.
There was nothing I disliked, I did not fast forward one second, I didn't increase the speed of the drama playing, I rewound often if I missed a sentence. I savored all of the dialogue. I didn't get frustrated because there was an unnecessary filler killing time. There were no moments of saying "that was stupid". This was not a CGI type drama -- it felt so real that you will believe they are actually in 1911 or circa. The authenticity of costumes and cars and building and almost everything was carefully studied and again added to the "10" rating.
Music was appropriate and coordinated with the theme.
Rewatch -- a YES!! This drama shot up to one of my top 10 and will be one of my most memorable ones and one to recommend to others. Quality is rare in drama land and it is often overshadowed by compromises. I felt like there were no compromises made to tell this story. The spirit of justice and patriotism is a worthy winner.
Definitely WATCH!!!!
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Must Watch
I was looking for a gender-bender drama and found this. I was already a Fan of Bai Lu after watching the Legends.In this drama, I got more than I was looking for, loved the acting of all cast, started liking "Xu Kai" and "Wu Jia Yi".
Amazing gender-bender drama with great acting. Love the action and romance scenes.
The storyline was great.
Like the OST as well. One of my Fav Chinese dramas and I have watched it more than 5 times.
The struggle that the Fl goes through and becomes more strong over a period of time.
Got to see a new side of Xu Kai as an actor, he can be so funny and serious at the same time, like the various expressions he makes.
At the same time started liking Wu Jia Yi as an actress, if you like her in this drama then you must see her drama "Dance of the Empire". you will a different side of her and her pairing with Xu Kai was good as well.
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This drama also has comedy scenes that is so funny HAHAHA I will still laugh after rewatching them.
Highly recommended! The casts acted very well with their roles whether is the support role or the main role suited them very well.
Sadly the girl for the main character has to cut her hair up for this but still....this is the third drama I watched with her in it, i am still impressed, this time she has to mostly act with a group of guys and AS a guy is really tough...no harm watching.
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Wow! Just wow!
This has been one of the best cdramas I’ve seen. Brilliant acting, storyline and pace. Humour, romance (without the cringe factor), love triangle, action, political conspiracy - its got it all. The acting was spot on. The FL nailed the girl pretending to be a man character. I never felt like this show dragged. The opening credit soundtrack was so good I actually found myself not skipping (which I usually do).Two negatives 1) overuse of flashbacks 2) you need to ignore discrepancies/plausibility throughout. If you can ignore them it’ll be a better experience.
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Of course, the best part of this drama is the undeniable chemistry between Bai Lu and Xu Kai. Don't know what makes them so amazing onscreen but this couple is DYNAMITE. They are independently solid actors - I mean, watching Xu Kai play Gu Yanzhen after watching him as Mo Qing/Li Chenlan in Legends I was thrown by how different the characters were. Xu Kai did such a great job as Gu Yanzhen that I couldn't have ever imagined him playing a character like Mo Qing. Just some great natural talent. As for Bai Lu - let me just say she is just mesmerizing to look at. She is naturally just so beautiful that I couldn't take my eyes off of her. AND her short hair looks stunning on her. She was fantastic as Xie Liangchen/Xie Xiang - her acting scenes were so good I'd love to see her in more action dramas. I personally thought Xu Kai's onscreen charisma as Gu Yanzhen outshined her just a tiny bit but she definitely held her own spotlight. When these two were on screen together, it was captivating to watch.
I'm not sure how I'd feel watching them with other actors - for example, I watched Xu Kai in Yanxi Palace and his acting was good but I just didn't get the same level of chemistry and flow and acting in that one as I did when I watched him acting with Bai Lu. Some actors just sync really well with a particular actor I guess. They just draw out each other's talent to its best. Just for Xu Kai and Bai Lu, this drama is DEFINITELY worth watching.
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please watch all im on my knees
The acting is always the most important aspect, and the entire cast carried out the story's emotions perfectly. I watched "The Legends" starring the same main leads before watching this show, and I immediately binged all of their dramas. Unlike many actors who are only casted for face value and fanbase, they literally work so hard for their roles, and their chemistry is just through the roof.ACTING
Bai lu (FL) actually cut her hair for the role, and many of the male actors did weeks of intense training prior to the shoot to prepare for their roles. It's refreshing to see actors who are willing to dedicate themselves to the scripts once in a while since many dramas have lazy actors who use stunt doubles for the most harmless scenes and never care about the script. I feel like xukai and bailu match perfectly in both of their main lead dramas because they are open people. I wasn't annoyed by a single side cast member, since they all played their roles perfectly and genuinely.
SETTING
The story is good, but it is understandable if some may drop the show. Many people only look for rom com dramas and may not like the political/military aspects of the show, but for me it's like a bonus. It's plausible for a show based on the previous century to accurately display past events and perfectly weaving it with the plot. For context, China did not have military forces such as they do now, thus the people were constantly in fear of foreign invasions. In the early 1900s, Japan was formidably powerful and attempted to invade China and control/influence its people. The title, Arsenal Military Academy, is the name of the military school where the main leads attend to fight for their country. I was never truly enticed by the military aspect, but the emotions of loss and will to fight are shown through the bits and pieces of historical events.
GENRES
Besides the military aspects, AMA is also a romcom action drama. The romance in the show is refreshing, as in the characters remain sane throughout the plot without doing absurdly underhanded things (historical drama watchers ykwim). There are many sweet moments that are actually relevant to the plot and not thrown in there like fanservice. Obviously the romance isn't over quickly since there are 48 episodes, but the gradual development of feelings between the characters is so satisfying to watch. The comedy in the show is just perfect. It contributes to the lighthearted/silly tone of the drama's first half, which balances out the intense and tearjerking action scenes. The expressions of all the cast members are very comical, and they click together like friends in real life. Watching this show had me simultaneously crying laughing screaming and pacing around (could be caused by sleep deprivation, but it genuinely evoked so many emotions in me). The action scenes of a military drama obviously include guns and swords etc. I don't believe there is excessive gore in this show, but some may be sensitive to the sight of blood (warning, mild gore like gun wounds or scars). The fight scenes were always filled with suspense, and honestly they were choreographed perfectly. To sum it up, the genres all blend well with the plot and will send you on an emotional roller coaster.
MUSIC
I literally created a spotify podcast just to upload the ost for my pleasure. The ost is on spotify, but I'm pretty sure it is only available in mainland china. The main song, Dreaming, is sung by the two main leads. Their voices match so well and the intro of violins and violas or wtv the instruments are sounds like the ascension to heaven. Unlike historical dramas (dynasty periods), there aren't a long list of 4 minute songs that each match with one romance scene, but the discography is still enjoyable. Only complaint is that they should have made more music with those same artists bc it's just too heavenly. After watching all 48 episodes, hearing the songs makes me recall each scene and look at the ceiling and start reminiscing.
REWATCH
Personally, I rewatch dramas right after finishing them in case I missed any information. Often times, watching through the whole drama will help you better understand past scenes, and that feeling of "ohhh damnnn thats what that meant" is nice. Not even joking I've rewatched this drama start to end at least 5 times without skipping, which is rare since I drop shows quickly usually. All the aspects of the show are a 10 to me except this one and it's a 9.5 for rewatching because certain suspense in the show is built up by not knowing the true criminal or the true story etc. It is still enjoyable to watch nonetheless.
SUMMARY
That was too long, I wouldn't even read all of that again. To sum it up, I feel sorry for those who turn away from the drama due to its unique plotline because it actually is such a lifechanging experience. My only complaint with the show is that a few scenes were cut out due to censorship in China (not a big deal, all can be found on yt, but kinda sad). Acting is perfect, story is perfect, music is perfect, watching this show is like therapeutic. PLEASE WATCH WITHOUT DROPPING LIKE EVEN IF ONE PART SEEMS BORING JUST KEEP PUSHING ITLL BE WORTH IT TRUST
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This review may contain spoilers
A Slow Burn Romance but You Will Experience a Charismatic Cast of Characters
If you're looking for a thought provoking show or logical analysis behind scenes that transpire, don't expect much here. If you are looking for romance and expect the main leads to be in love and for it to ooze in each section of the screen, please do not look here. If you are looking to see the main male lead to be seen in majority of the show, please don't look here.What Arsenal Military Academy lacked in a logical and consistent plot made for it in strong characters that undergoes serious developmental growth.
Acting/Cast:
Everyone has mentioned the two main leads being in a previous show, but I was only interested because of Xu Kai and watching him in Yanxi Palace. If it wasn't for the fact that Xu Kai made Gu Yan Zheng such a hilarious, arrogant, goofy, childish, hearty, flirty, loving, cool, and smug character, I would have given up watching this show halfway. His character has been done before but Xu Kai portrayal of him, was completely new and not seen before. I can honestly say that he made Gu Yan Zheng his own. The flaws in his character could be the childish nature, but it was the brute honesty of his childishness that made him refuse and decline the second female lead efforts and affection. His childishness also add a dash of humor and it showed the stark contrast of his growth as he became determined , patriotic, and serious in protecting the people he loved.
On the other hand, Bai Lu played an amazing role as Xie Xiang/Xie LiangChen. Her loyalty to her friends, her guts, and trying to find herself after her brother passed away was one of the highlight points of her character. However, her character began to annoy me, especially how she treated the male lead during the second half of the drama. Someone mention there were cut scenes of the leads, and if that is so, that would make sense to the lack of romantic interactions.
Shen Jun Shan became an annoyance to painstakingly irritating. I was confused about his character and how he knew Xie Xiang’s brother. I was confused about his feelings for the female lead in the first half, and looked like it was going to go a different direction with Xian Rong and wish at most, that they did get tied into a forbidden romance, rather than see him exert himself in pursuing the female lead. However, his character was the typical cold and standoffish at first and slowly opens up to the people around him. The actor did a phenemonal job, just that the character in itself and excessive screen space, left a distaste in my mouth.
Supporting Characters/Actors:
I have to say that Liu Si Bo, who played Huang Song, blew me away. I loved his friendship with Xie Xiang but surprisingly loved it even more with Gu YanZheng. He was naïve, innocent, loyal, an truly honest. Most of his interactions with Xie Xiang dressed up as a girl was just purely gold….if it wasn’t because of Xu Kai, I would have shipped her with him instead.
Music:
I really liked the music, it didn’t overpower the scene, nor was it used to wring out an emotion. It was tastefully done. I always loved it when they used the background beats whenever Xie Xiang and the rest of the guys will walk into the scene.
Overall:
I wouldn’t personally sit down and watch this show all over again. However, I would watch the scenes between the leads and the friendship amongst the rest of the supporting characters. However, the excessive screen time of the second male lead had me grow a distaste to his character and to most of the second half of the show. I would recommend if not alone for the humor, comedy, and friendships. If you are an avid romance lover and looking for a followup from their previous show called “The Legends” you will NOT find that passion here. Instead enjoy a cute and slow burn, very slow burn, romance that will make you cry, laugh, and at the same time hide away in embarrassment. Its an overall good show.
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it was just a love diamond + a million subplots
I'll start with the good points;+ Xie Xiang was a great female lead, one of the best, she was smart, cool, caring, independent and strong
+ Gu Yan Zhen was playful and a playboy but a total sweetheart, I mean he literally fell for her in the first few eps
+ the cross dressing was done well
+ Xie Xiang and Xiao Jun's sismance was adorable
+ Man Ting and Yan Zhen also had great friendship
+ the friendship between Huang Song and both Yan Zhen and Xie Xiang was sweet, the whole gang were a great team
+ the outfits and filmography was beautiful
+ those 2eps Xie Xiang saved herself/others (plus the ending)
+ the chemistry between Xie Xiang and Yan Zhen was off the charts~
now the things I hated
- the million of subplots! every other ep had a new unrelated story, I was losing my mind
- in the early eps Xie Xiang always had to be saved (though granted they were being realistic since she was physically weak and tiny)
- they literally wasted the romance ;/ I would've gotten it if they didn't want romance to be the focus, but they literally spent 40eps developing a main lead x 2nd lead love line ;/
- they ruined Man Ting and Yan Zhen's pure sibling like relationship when they added a sad pathetic 1 sided love..
- they made me really angry when even Huang Song fell for "the sister" and she literally went out with him as a girl and never tried to turn him down (and I wished she'd told him everything from the start and stayed as pure friends)
- the 2nd lead was slightly obsessive. he changed Xie Xiang's room without asking and he'd tell her "I won't take no for an answer" as if he owned her ;/
- they spent more time on the side characters than on the main, heck the evil girl had more screentime
- the evil girl felt unrealistic, she was young and weak, there's no way the bad guys would've given her that much authority
- Huang Song's death was unnecessary. he should've died with a bullet to the head or they shouldn't have left him to get shot 5 times
- the forgetful girl. agh I hated her the most..
- there was no consistency, it felt like the writer had 1 plot move "girl cross dresses and goes to a military school" and then she just added whatever that came to her.
- the romance took 40eps and 2seconds for them to confess and then it ended with them "walking" along towards the sunset... that was it. after such a long chase and misunderstandings, that was it......
- I was ready to give this a 10, but I didn't know it'd be that messy and draggy. I'll never watch another cdrama,
- the ahahahahahah ost drove me crazy!
I wish someone just made a cut of the 2 main leads, especially when they were together, that'd have saved me 30eps ;D
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Good but way too long and the romance was poorly built
The storyline was very interesting, I was intirgued and followed all the way through despite not liking historical dramas normally. Despite this, I will say that I do think that I didn't learn any proper history of China. Everything in the story seemed a tad made up for me and I didn't learn any concrete facts compared to other historical dramas. Another despite this, even thoug it was interesting at first, I lost interest eventually because the series was extremely long and it seemed to be very milked out. It was weird because the first hald was good as it was a mix of romance, frienship and histroical but the latter hald was bad as it only portrayed historical aspects, completely forgetting to add romance or development between then characters. I loved the characters and their development, I think the actors did a great job and there was absolutely no fault in that aspect. The other negative thing about this series is the romance. You would think that a romance series will give proper reasons on why the main characters fell in love but this one didn't. It would have made more sense is Xiang and Shen ended up together as they had more romantic and meaningful moments with each other. Xiang's and Gu's love seemed forced and senseless. He loves her because why? And she loves him because he always protects her? It's just weird and their chemistry is very meh. I would recommend it if you’re bored or you love Xu Kai like me and are willing to watch 48 episodes for him.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A drama which strongly relates to the period during japanese occupation. Very often, we have long forgotten the turmoil period which our ancestors had gone through. A good drama which paint a picture during patriotic period when many individuals tried to fight for their homeland. Drama involves other values such as kinship, friendship & romance, not forgetting your own roots. During japanese occupation, many people lost their lives, families and friends. These individuals had lives of their own and fought hard for their country Was this review helpful to you?
