Myla
One of a kind in the Field of C-Dramas
Arsenal military is undeniably on a different level among other dramas. Most shows are either set in modern or in ancient times, but I rarely see ones that are set during the 1900s. Furthermore, its storyline does not mainly focus on a love story, but rather a journey about growth, friendship, bravery, and patriotism.
This drama has one of the best cast I've seen. Everyone did a great job on portraying their given role, down from the main leads to the supporting characters. Bai Lu, the actress who played as the female lead, deserve all the recognition for her spectactular acting. Unlike most dramas that poorly executes cross-dressings, she really looked and acted as a man and was convincing, omitting the fact that she was quite short and petite. Xu Kai was perfect for acting as Gu Yan Zhen. He managed to portray a childish yet badass character flawlessly. Toby Lee as Shen Jun Shan was just amazing, despite his timid and upright character, I looked forward to his scenes everytime and amired his righteousnes. He showed the definition of a true gentleman. I can't imangine if Wu Jia Yi wasn't casted as Qu Man ting. She was one of the main reasons that kept the show interesting.
This show was well-produced as it was packed with great actors and wonderful OST that matched well with the scene. It was nicely setted with the clothes, cars, and infrastractures. The story progessed nicely, for as the characters underwent growth, it slowly turned from a romantic comedy to a political drama. Each episode was filled with wonderful plot showcasing the bond between military students as they bravely face struggles concerning life and death for their country despite going against those with power and authority. This drama was a a slow burn and I would have given it a higher if it weren't for some dull moments or if the scenes without much action or significance could have been cut short. I find myself speeding up some parts of the drama from time to time as some of the exchange of dialogues were delivered slowly and some transitions were filmed long.
XIE XIANG, GU YAN ZHEN, & SHEN JUNSHAN'S LOVE TRIANGLE:
Both Gu Yan Zhen and Shen Jun Shan whole-heartedly deserved Xie Xian. The main difference was that Gu Yan Zhen made Xie Xian laugh and comfortable, whereas Shen Jun Shan made her feel safe and taken care of. Since romance wasn't the main focus of the storyline, for me, it was more like choosing your bossom friend (Gu Yan Zhen) or your affectionate brother(Shen Jun Shan). Personally, I was rooting for Shen Junshan. However, Gu Yan Zhen definitely had the upper hand since he was Xie Xiang's roomate and knew first that she was just disguising as a man, so he was more clingy, flirty, and had more opportunities to protect and care for Xie Xiang while keeping her secret. On the contrary, Shen Jun protected and treated Xie Xian nicely despite not knowing that she was a girl. He repeatedly saved her and regarded her of great importance to the point that he thought something wrong with him since he had affection for Xie Liang Chen, who is said to be a man. Hence, he tried to distance to himself for a short while and didn't know how to act towards Xie Xian.
QU MAN TING, GU YAN ZHEN, & SHEN TING BAI'S LOVE TRIANGLE:
I would have love to see Qu Man Ting an Gu Yan Zhen together for they would have make a great couple especially with their similar personalites such as having a bold character. I admire Qu Man Ting's perseverance in pursuing Gu Yan Zhen, I truly believe that if they had met first without Xie Xiang in the picture or Xie Xiang ended up choosing Shen Jun Shan, Gu Yan Zhen would eventually fall for Qu manting. Sadly, Gu Yan Zhen was already in love with Xie Xiang. Hence, I felt bad for her and as well as for Shen Ting Bai since he truly loved and and did a lot of things for her, but she chooses to chase a man who doesn't even love her back. But thankfully Qu manting was moved by Shen Ting Bai's true love.
OTHER LOVE STORIES:
All the love stories present in this drama was really intriguing. Including Li Wen Zhong's. He was able to display his character development Through his affection for An Wen. Aside from them, I find Huang Song's one-sided crush toward Xie Xiang pure and cute. It's just a pity that he didn't get a chance to know that his best friend, Xie Liang Chen and Xie Xiang, the girl who he admire is the same person. We are well aware that Oda Xian Rong truly loved Shen Jun Shan. However, in no way was she deserving of his love and trust.
This drama has one of the best cast I've seen. Everyone did a great job on portraying their given role, down from the main leads to the supporting characters. Bai Lu, the actress who played as the female lead, deserve all the recognition for her spectactular acting. Unlike most dramas that poorly executes cross-dressings, she really looked and acted as a man and was convincing, omitting the fact that she was quite short and petite. Xu Kai was perfect for acting as Gu Yan Zhen. He managed to portray a childish yet badass character flawlessly. Toby Lee as Shen Jun Shan was just amazing, despite his timid and upright character, I looked forward to his scenes everytime and amired his righteousnes. He showed the definition of a true gentleman. I can't imangine if Wu Jia Yi wasn't casted as Qu Man ting. She was one of the main reasons that kept the show interesting.
This show was well-produced as it was packed with great actors and wonderful OST that matched well with the scene. It was nicely setted with the clothes, cars, and infrastractures. The story progessed nicely, for as the characters underwent growth, it slowly turned from a romantic comedy to a political drama. Each episode was filled with wonderful plot showcasing the bond between military students as they bravely face struggles concerning life and death for their country despite going against those with power and authority. This drama was a a slow burn and I would have given it a higher if it weren't for some dull moments or if the scenes without much action or significance could have been cut short. I find myself speeding up some parts of the drama from time to time as some of the exchange of dialogues were delivered slowly and some transitions were filmed long.
XIE XIANG, GU YAN ZHEN, & SHEN JUNSHAN'S LOVE TRIANGLE:
Both Gu Yan Zhen and Shen Jun Shan whole-heartedly deserved Xie Xian. The main difference was that Gu Yan Zhen made Xie Xian laugh and comfortable, whereas Shen Jun Shan made her feel safe and taken care of. Since romance wasn't the main focus of the storyline, for me, it was more like choosing your bossom friend (Gu Yan Zhen) or your affectionate brother(Shen Jun Shan). Personally, I was rooting for Shen Junshan. However, Gu Yan Zhen definitely had the upper hand since he was Xie Xiang's roomate and knew first that she was just disguising as a man, so he was more clingy, flirty, and had more opportunities to protect and care for Xie Xiang while keeping her secret. On the contrary, Shen Jun protected and treated Xie Xian nicely despite not knowing that she was a girl. He repeatedly saved her and regarded her of great importance to the point that he thought something wrong with him since he had affection for Xie Liang Chen, who is said to be a man. Hence, he tried to distance to himself for a short while and didn't know how to act towards Xie Xian.
QU MAN TING, GU YAN ZHEN, & SHEN TING BAI'S LOVE TRIANGLE:
I would have love to see Qu Man Ting an Gu Yan Zhen together for they would have make a great couple especially with their similar personalites such as having a bold character. I admire Qu Man Ting's perseverance in pursuing Gu Yan Zhen, I truly believe that if they had met first without Xie Xiang in the picture or Xie Xiang ended up choosing Shen Jun Shan, Gu Yan Zhen would eventually fall for Qu manting. Sadly, Gu Yan Zhen was already in love with Xie Xiang. Hence, I felt bad for her and as well as for Shen Ting Bai since he truly loved and and did a lot of things for her, but she chooses to chase a man who doesn't even love her back. But thankfully Qu manting was moved by Shen Ting Bai's true love.
OTHER LOVE STORIES:
All the love stories present in this drama was really intriguing. Including Li Wen Zhong's. He was able to display his character development Through his affection for An Wen. Aside from them, I find Huang Song's one-sided crush toward Xie Xiang pure and cute. It's just a pity that he didn't get a chance to know that his best friend, Xie Liang Chen and Xie Xiang, the girl who he admire is the same person. We are well aware that Oda Xian Rong truly loved Shen Jun Shan. However, in no way was she deserving of his love and trust.
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