Proceed with caution! Some Spoilers may spoil your mood!


I found a few (3 to count) similarities between this and Legends. 1) Xu Kai's undeterred, devoted, undistracted, first one-sided then returned love for Bai Lu. 2) Bai Lu's disguise as someone else when meeting him. Here she pretends to be her brother from beginning to end and in Legends when she came back from nether-land, she possessed someone's body and pretended to be her. Both the times Xu Kai sees through her guise though. 3) Bai Lu's drunk assault on Xu Kai. Here she falls asleep on him and in Legends, ahem... the mouth assault which they totally edited in the final cut.

I liked it very much. The politics and war part were a little hectic for me so I skipped some. The dorm story was the best. it was great to see most of the boys entering as selfish, nonchalant, self-invested prats and leaving (the dorm or life) as emotionally, socially , patriotically developed men of the country. The friendship and growth were well-defined and maintained till the end. Even the guy I hated the most, you know the one, I forgot the name who started as a douche, redeemed himself at the end. It was sad. They made it so by introducing love in his life. They gave his story, which until that point was just about creating problem for Liang Chen and being a brute, another facet — just when he was gonna martyr himself. Haha, how clever!

I was bawling when Huan Song died. He was the most innocent soul in the whole show. He never retaliated or even resented anybody for anything. The supporting characters in the academy existed just inside it except for Huann Song, Guo Shuo Ting, and the last appendage to whatshisname’s story.

The way GYZ’s character started, the stark opposite of Legends which I liked, I wondered how long he was gonna continue being a disrespectful bully. I hoped for him to fall for XX first so karma could kick his butt. Even when he started having feelings for her, he acted like an entitled prick. If it were anyone else I would have given him a big thumbs down as a prospective lover. But you just can’t keep being pissed at Xu Kai with those eyes. They have some real potent sorcery in them. But when he started to get serious shedding his mischievous whattnottery and clung to XX like a hopeless man in hopeless love, I couldn’t help but get annoyed at XX for not accepting his heart. Total irrationality. But what can you say, love is irrational. The moment he threw the button necklace away upsettingly, I was praying for him to get out of her life and let her chase him for a while. Even though I knew that it was not gonna happen. Still. Actually, at some point the romantic chase and complications were giving me real stress. Xu Kai’s expressions are above and beyond everything. He can draw attention and hold it with his eyes. His acting is hilarious in the first part. But when he gets serious, intense and full-blown emotional, even God can’t save me!

I once again loved Bail Lu’s character like I did in Legends (except for some time when i was wanting her to accept GYZ but that was a fleeting emotion). Glad she is getting this kind of roles. Firstly, she is an absolute talent. I love how she doesn’t act like an eight year old when she’s not. No baby talks no cutesy stuff, nothing. When she was sitting with her brother and talking, in the flashback, she had the chance to act like those annoying babbling heroines but she didn’t. Her character was determined and dedicated from start to end. She got into the academy for fulfilling her brother’s dream and gradually it became her own dream. She realised her brother’s passion behind his dream. She never got distracted from her goal. That is the reason why she, even after knowing about GYZ’s feelings, didn’t jump into a relationship right away. When she was lowkey crushing on Jun Shan, even though she was taking care of him (he did so too) she never hone in on it.

Jun Shan’s character was interesting too. Though he didn’t have much scope for development except for his theory of love, he came completely developed, his character was not a monotonal shade. He didn’t hesitate to take lives when the self-righteous law-abiding puppet government officials acceded to the foreign government. He was a man of few words, usually shirking socialising barriered behind a book in the cafeteria. Pretending indifference when someone is getting bullied or kidnapped but helping them from behind the curtains indirectly. I would have, too, fallen for him over GyZ, of course if GYZ weren’t Xu Kai like someone.

Okay, Guo Shu Ting, that man was sooo hawt. His character seemed a little alike to Ju Shan. Like him, he was showing apathy to everything going around. But then a strong emotional bond with XX and QMT developed overtime, unlike the other officer who remained just as a sergeant.

Qu Man Ting, who is she and why don’t I know this absolute package of entertainment. Like in one scene she proclaimed, she is “charming”, hilarious and an absolute scene-stealer. Actually, in spite of my dedicated ship to Bai Lu and Xu Kai, I wished for him to be with Man Ting. Every scene of them together were so amusing to watch. They were two peas in a pod. Man Ting to GYZ was GYZ to XX. The scene at the museum stairs where she was hugging GYZ, both their expressions were priceless.

And last but not the least, Tan Xiao Jun, Xie Xiann’s friend, was as adorable as she was in The Legends. I Loved her in both the dramas. Here as a dependable friend and their a faithful follower. Her slip of-tongue accidents were hilarious.

I liked the ending. It was a clean wrap. But I would’ve liked it more if one of the main characters were shown to have sacrificed their life. A story so intense like this needs, for me, to shatter a piece of my heart to remain in it forever maintaining its intensity. Instead they just sacrificed the side characters. The ones whom we built an emotional connect with though. They who existed outside the academy. Again, very smart.

The soundtrack is so perfect. The opening theme groovy and the ending, botha them, beautiful.

I am not gonna rewatch it just because most of it has war and political theme which I am not a fan of. And even if I watch by skipping i won’t find the romance i am looking for. However it was a good one-time-watch.