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now you have me curious, I'll have to check it out :)

oh TPR was 100% real time travel. They just added those remarks occasionally as an obvious censorship pass to say, "see it MIGHT be all a dream". wink, wink. It was very very thin and clearly just a manipulation around the rules. The way Story of Kunning Palace did it was "see, it's all a story! EVERYTHING IS FICTION" by adding a writer at the end. Also just a simple trick around the rules. [but yeah, in Summit of our Youth looks like coma and not time travel]

the way they got around it was they repeatedly made random remarks like --this might be nothing but a dream-- LMAO apparently that was enough to pass the censors. nice job writers!

yeah he was still in his "we're not friends" phase then in the novel. he totally DID leave her to stumble around blind a lot, to see what would happen. and he leaves her to get attacked too I think lol.

He's a notorious strict guy with a "clean" rep among officials and she's threatening to spread spicy rumors about him. 🤪 In the novel I recall she pulls out this threat a few times lmao. Now the context is that she thinks this threat would actually work because she remembers him as an uptight, image conscious teenager from their schooldays. In reality, we can assume he's no longer a teenager and isn't TRULY blackmailed by this. He wants any halfway excuse to let her stay in the army, because she's the most talented recruit.

[SPOILERS] In the novel he's more seriously suspicious of her longer - to the point that in this trip where she's faking being his nephew, I felt like in the novel at this point he's sorta caring what happens to FL (he did feel bad she was blinded) but also wouldn't lose much sleep if FL died. He figures out she's a girl way earlier in the drama and he's a tad warmer to her in the drama at this point. One amusing difference is that in the novel she has no idea the army she's joining is his. She just applies to the closest unit that's openly recruiting. When she hears it's Xiao Jue she literally spits out water and is like wtf THAT GUY?? The hardass, rigid perfectionist who hates mess and fun?? We used to operate forces on opposite sides of the country and that worked for me. :/ This is gonna make my rise thru the ranks and hiding my gender 50x harder. FML. And in the novel there are other trainers between commander and recruits so they directly interact way less in the portion of the book. Drama makes him more prominent in the early arc. The dynamic of He Yan being boyishly playful and cheerful, while he's quiet, stern, and judgmental is same in book and drama. Part of their whole vibe in the novel is that he keeps being kind to her secretly in ways she can't see. He is warm inside, cold outside. And he is putting on an act of distance while watching from afar.They just don't show enough in the drama to tell yet if they're gonna majorly shift the academy days dynamic from novel. In the novel, she is That Boy who all the other boys don't want to play with. She's scrawny and weak and a loser lol. She thinks of ML as the perfect, naturally talented and high status student who is so cool that he doesn't have to try. He doesn't have to impress anyone and doesn't have to study. He just "happens" to chill around as she is alone practicing her crap martial arts and failing at studying. Of course he actually has a secret soft spot for the academy loser and does a bunch of things to secretly help her. But he's too proud to admit it and fakes like he barely notices she's alive. The part of her sharing a sword pair with him and knowing his dad is totally drama-only canon. His dad still died and all that but it had nothing to do with her. (Because she had no connection to his dad's death and his demotion from the Emperor, there is way less reason for him to assume his former classmate turned general has been swapped. That great general now is less brilliant in battles but that's not super suspicious.) (1 more note on their novel dynamic - for at least the first 50% of the story, Xiao Jue's subordinate is convinced He Yan and Xiao Jue are ex-lovers. not CURRENT gay boyfriends but exes!)

nah, I love Dilraba but she was NOT a passing cross dresser in Long Ballad. Literally just as obvious as in Legend of Female General. In both cases, you need to pretend not to see it.

The only time I've seen a production where I could believe it was Maiden Holmes. The actress has sorta a more masculine passing face (slim cheeks and something about the shape of her nose & mouth) and she had a no makeup look. Dressed in high collars. She put on a more masculine voice than Dilraba did in Long Ballad.

that's her character in the novel so we shouldn't expect it to change. it's a writing choice to intentionally write a personality who is optimistic and cheerfully boastful. yes, even after traumatic events. she processes her enotions and reverts to her optimism and looking forward. she also isn't obsessed with revenge - her desire to expose and defeat her brother is more for justice and cause her former army deserves better than him. she's simply not a revengeful and bitter person, intrinsically.

I feel like this is an aspect that's easier to slip by some viewers - that she acts so much more casually w the ML and acts playful because he is someone she knew in her youth. Her instincts revert around him. and there is also a deep trust that he's a good person. He doesn't know it's her but she remembers him.

I am nodding at you thru the screen! :) I feel like if you've seen more rl footage of real soldiers then perhaps it's easier to perceive what the writers are trying to do with her. She's a soldier first and she LIKES BEING ONE. She knows it's a hard life but she feels comfortable in that life. Like many soldiers, she relishes the physical challenges and the bonding with comrades. She has a playful and optimistic attitude, even in the face of violence and death. Stern and cold is not the only way to portray a confident and qualified person. It's just become a common stereotype in media.

Yes I really enjoyed her personality in the novel and am glad the drama didn't turn her into the standard archetype. Variety is good! Raised hanging out with male soliders, she has that cheerful attitude of an experienced solider who has seen it all and didn't let it break them, who manages their emotions by staying silly and young at heart. Like when you watch documentaries about soliders sitting around and goofing off between action/missions. She's just not stern, cold, and scheming. And that's ok.

in the novel you can see their internal perspective so it's more understandable. It's on purpose - yes the fl isn't treating him like a respected unfamiliar commander. FL is bad at disguising her familiarity with him and faking her role. Because she's not politically savvy (she's not perfect, she has flaws and that's how she was defeated and got to this point. brilliant soldier and general, not a good schemer or official). And this makes ml suspicious! it's part of clues for him that she's not what she seems. He isn't punishing her because he's monitoring her. He isn't sure she's a spy/up to something bad. But he isn't sure she's legit. In case she's Actually Bad, he doesn't take action and watches how this proceeds. Tries to figure out if she's friend or foe.

For me he was very interesting in the novel and I appreciated that the author did NOT do what I expected. Truly an unpredictable character whose actions made sense for their personality/background/motivations rather than just following standard tropes. Not an ally or antagonist but a secret 3rd thing 🤷‍♀️

I'm waiting for at least 10 episodes to air before I start watching. But as I big fan of the novel, I'll be ok with many changes BUT the key to me is how in the book she is a skilled soldier and general who truly has to restart her climb all over again. We see her strength train and prove herself step by step, over many chapters. That's the part I really found satisfying, following her struggles and triumph to earn her place again as a warrior woman in a patriarchal society. If the drama gives me that, I'll be happy.

this is a great review because you explain your perspective and what appeals to you personally.

I mostly agree. I'm fine with over the top melodramas but this is a flawed one. The protagonist who's reborn after dying tragically should be very endearing to the audience but the way the drama approached him having to start over from zero just didn't trigger empathy and investment the way I expected. He's not an underdog who uses his future knowledge to out-work and outsmart others and improve his life. Instead, his actions feel scrambled and at times just bizarre. (Having a time traveler who is frankly TERRIBLE at it isn't a bad idea, actually, but then you'd want to go all in on it and lean into either comedy or tragedy.) The hashtags thing really was cringe. 🫣 Wenai and Janine indeed were likeable side characters. I did enjoy the Tada character more than you - I'm weak for The Yearning and his acting was decent. I'd try another series with that actor in a lead role.

nice thank u! I have been burned too many times over time travel stories that turn out to be fake dreams 😭

was it All A Dream ending?

They are very devoted to each other and trust each other.

Lots of romance included with the case solving. I don't watch dramas without a romance and I was well fed here.