Battle of Changsha (2014)

I initially started this drama for the hunk Wallace Huo but ended up loving the story and all the characters. Wallace does not dissapoint and neither do any of the other characters. There is no way I would continue to watch a drama only for one guy if the story was not intriguing and and all the characters dod not play their parts well enough.

The story really transcends the meaning of war and clearly depicts the struggles the population faces in the event of one and makes us realize how grateful we should be for our freedom! The screenplay is fluent and the story I sent coherently woven thus making it a pleasure to watch. It has a lot of realism that normally lacks in Chinese dramas I found and makes it a pleasure to watch.

One of the strongest and if not the strongest character in the story that stole the show was Ren Cheng Wei! I didn't know who he was and initially found his character to be quite repulsive, but then everything changed and it showed that a man who loves his family shows it in more than one way. Of course we are taought to live life following the right path and always doing good. Although I wouldn't justify completely what he does, you can start to understand why he does it.

Of course there are numerous battle scenes but nothing too graphic at and the love story is subtle but still manages to tingle all those nerves. Give it a shot and I'm sure you'll fall in love with the two leads like I did!

Read More

Even if you're not a fan of period dramas this will make you love it...

I have been overlooking this drama for a long time because I am not a fan of period dramas. I just came here because of Yang Zi and since the Oath of Love kept being postponed i needed to satisfy my "Yang Zi craving" and what a delectable take away it has been.

The romance may not be fluffy but it's so heartwarming. The story is poignant and not for the weak sentimental people, i had shed some tears but who cares, the amount of smile, grins and laughs will make you forget the tragedy of war. Not to mention a satisfying ending as well.

This is really an underrated drama. A gem waiting to be discovered.

Read More

I thouroughly enjoyed this drama as it gave me a very deep emotional attachment to its characters. You would think that the story would only focus upon Xiang Xiang and Gu Qingming and their romance, but it actually revolved around the family. The brother-in-law was a very well written character as he seemed very abrasive at first nut his undying loyalty to the family and his love for Xiang Jun was truly something special to watch. In addition, the transformation of both Xiang Xiang and Xiaoman was great to see. All of the supporting characters made this drama both heartbreaking and comedic at the same time. Characters such as Jin Feng and Xiu Xiu definitely made this drama much more intresting to watch as they both played a significant role in the transformation of Xiaoman. I hope that if anyone watches this, they really focus upon the family and the story line as it is not so much about Xiang Xiang and Gu Qingming but rather the family as a whole. I think that all of the cast did a great job although the music was average but this didnt take anything away from the drama at all. All I can say is that prepare a box of tissues for when you reach the end as it is one of the most heartbreaking endings that I have ever witnessed. Yet the ending fits perfectly within the story so I cant complain about it at all. I hope you all find this review useful and definitely give it a shot.

Read More

Amazing drama!

To sum up this drama in one word, extraordinary! This is far and away the absolute best Chinese drama I have ever seen. I'll go a step further and say that this drama ranks among the best I have ever seen from any country. First, let me say that I don't watch period dramas and only made this exception after reading the glowing reviews. My tastes run more to romantic dramas, both light hearted and the more serious types. I am so glad that I decided to give this drama a chance to expand into the period/historical drama realm.
The story is riveting! The multitude of characters in this drama are so well written. The acting is phenomenal! It's rare to see such high quality cinematography, along with countless elaborate settings. This is no doubt a high budget production. By all means, treat yourself to this emotion and action packed gem.

Read More

I have no idea what a series has such a low rating. It is so worth the watch. I’ve watched several series that have revolved around war time and family but I think this is by far the best one. It was absolutely amazing. The chemistry among the leads as well as the chemistry among the supporting cast was absolutely amazing. There were so many darn heartfelt moments in the series it is impossible not to cry while watching this series. Although it is revolves around the war it also shows a great deal of love, loyalty, hardship, family and unity. This show absolutely has it all. I can honestly say there were very few things that I did not like about the series but those were few and far. The series follows so many cast members but still manages to stick to the story line and give the lead their time.
I wanted to point that out because it covers the female and her family and those individuals that are involved with her family. The writers did an amazing job with the roles of the supporting cast and chemistry among them all. I just find it absolutely amazing that everyone in the series had great chemistry in terms of relationships either family or romantic in nature. The old family feud and commitment to unity are revealed here as well. This is not just about war and fighting it is about so much more. I will say that what I took away from this was an individuals strength during hardship and also their ability to overcome hardships.

Read More

A year later and I can't stop thinking about it...

*MAYBE SPOILERS*
10/10, 5 STARS ALL ACROSS THE BOARD
I first watched this drama over a year ago, and I still frequently think about it. Honestly, if someone were to ask me what my favorite drama is, this will always be the top.
Every single character and story line was written beautifully, some tragic. I have to skip through the one part of the child, if you know what I'm talking about then you know. It breaks my heart every single time, but as a mother with a small child, it effects me greatly.
This drama is one that I believe will continue being top tier throughout the decades. It serves as a great reminder of the costs of war, not only on those fighting, but how everyday people are effected as well. The character development was also *chefs kiss* Anyway, if you haven't caught the drift from my rambling, I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF YOU WATCHING IT AND THEN REWATCHING IT!

Read More

Immature spoiled rich 16 year old being bratty during a war

I have never in my life encountered a more immature 16 year old. By the way they wrote the script, she doesn't sound or think like a teen, she sounds like a kindergartner.

Exhibit 1: she bribes kids to steal military cement because she's so QuIRkY and wanted attention from a guy who she has a crush on. Remember, this girl is 16 and essentially bullies a military officer because she's like "well, if I show him how annoying I can be, maybe he will notice me." What are you? 5? Ewww and he is like an officer so like 20's or 30's. That's nasty y'all.
Exhibit 2: she jumps into the military car just to find her brother, demanding Gu dude to find her brother. Sweetie, there's a war going on. Literally millions of people are dying and missing and you force the military to look for YOUR brother who just wants to join the war and support the military??? Lmao ok why dont they go looking for every single missing person then, see how efficient that would be for war efforts.

Also, the entire family is a bunch of spoiled brats???
The brother consistently asks this nurse out over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Like dude, did you ever learn the meaning of harassment or bounderies? Oh right, you didn't because your family is too rich to deal with that shit. How spoiled do you have to be to want to pressure a poor girl that just lost her entire family in a war to marry you just for your personal pleasure? URG and can we even talk about how every single family member guilt tripped the girl for not wanting to go out with Xiaoman? Tell me again about how this family isn't just toxic as shit.

And then there's the grandmother. She doesn't ever want to leave Chansha even though she KNOWS that they plan on burning it down literally putting the entire family in danger. How selfish do you have to be? How petty and immature are you that you hold a grudge for 40 years and put your entire family at risk for the sake of being petty?

And can we also talk about how XiangXiang repeatedly rejected Gu dude from the start and used him like half the drama and then when he even just talks to another girl (even though it's literally his sister), her whole family throws shit at him for being "awful". Like damn y'all, this family is sooo toxic, can i just spend one day without the elders assuming shit.

----------------------------------------------------------
Update: just finished it. The drama did a good job at portraying the events that happened even though they didn't show a lot of gore. After about episode 23, all character become somewhat decent and bearable. After that, the story improves a lot as they die one by one. So all in all, decent overall story with incredibly frustrating characters for the first half. They get better as they "mature" and do what seems like a complete 180 in terms of character. I do feel bad for that chick that ended up with Xiaoman tho coz she was essentially always second and the only reason Xiaoman settled was because his first choice died. Lmao women deserve better but still, thank god for that, I was worried he would harass her forever. It's kinda sad when you think about women's rights back then. Their only job was to breed and that's all they cared about even in a war when food was scarce and realistically the child would have died.

Read More

What to say about this drama? It absolutely ripped my heart out, time and time again. It's a bit slow to get started, but the next thing you know you care about each and every character, even the ones you were pretty sure you were going to hate. This is as slice-of-life as it gets. You fall in love with the family and watch the kids grow up.

When tragedy strikes (and it does, often, since this is a war drama) you just want to curl up and shake your head in denial. I would never watch this again for the sheer fact that it hurt too much, but oh god, the ride was worth it.

Read More

This drama will always have a special place in my heart. The idea of filming a story of war through the eyes of young adults was intriguing and challenging at first. But as events unfolded you began to mature as well - growing with the experience of witnessing first hand the challenges of living through battle after battle with only your personal concerns because of youth. As time moves forward and youth fades the drama matures to an adult level and is outstanding. The story writing, the sweetness of relationships, the challenges of family relationships, the betrayals associated with greed and war, and the chain of command are all highlighted. The social status of rich versus poor is also the main theme. This was an unforgettable experience and worth a 10 - glad I binge watched it over 3 days. Definitely, will do research to further my knowledge of these events.

Read More