1
5
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ChineseDramaFan
USA
Cold Face General in Intensive Romance
I love this series! This is a warm, easy to watch and adorable drama with funny scenes of an unpretentious female lead who is direct and sincere. There are intensive romance, mysteries and deep plot with supervillain. The female lead is forthright and that has resolved or prevented a lot of misunderstandings. Also, kissing and wedding are right at the beginning, so there's no long waiting for romance to happen and blossom, like in other dramas, usually at the end.
The Story
To rein in the power of General Chu Xiuming (Wu Xize) who is guarding the warring border up north, the ministers press the Emperor to decree a marriage of the second daughter of Rui Wang (Prince Rui) to the General. The bad name of the General - ugly, fearsome, and having killed 2 previous wives - scares the appointed daughter, and she wriggles out and passes the marriage over to her younger half-sister, Shen Jin (Tang Min), whose mother has lost favor from her father. Shen Jin accepts the marriage because she just wants to get away from the household which she abhors. At the General’s manor, she helps fend off intruders and receives admiration from the General’s subordinates. Very soon, she realizes the general is not what she has imagined and she falls head over heels in love with him, and he her. Together, they uncover the greatest conspiracy and put the perpetrators away.
There's always a mystery - who was the mastermind behind the death of the 8th prince the crown prince and his entire family 16 years ago? All indicators point towards the Emperor and Chu Xiuming is determined to find out to bring justice for his uncle, the crown prince. The conspiracy unravels in the last 2 episodes and the show becomes nail-bitingly intense. The ending is heart-warming and satisfying; there’s no random killing off of the characters.
The Characters and The Acting
I love the Shen Jin character. How she has grown up fighting for territories in her childhood has made her courageous and proactive. She knows she has to fight for what belongs to her and what she wants so that she would not be taken advantage of. She is sensitive and not naïve, and she doesn’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Whenever she feels an imminent threat, she would jump into preventive action to protect herself and those around her. After marrying Chu Xiuming, her greatest fear is losing him to another woman as how her mother loses her father; she vows she would not take her mother's footsteps. But her schemes are mostly naïve, brainless and hilarious, causing headaches for her husband who forgives her again and again. It’s nice to see this couple resolve their misunderstandings very quickly, and both are quick to apologize to each other. She eventually grows to trust him and not jealous over any women that he may come in contact with. Tang Min’s portrayal of Shen Jin is marvelous.
General Chu Xiuming is a cold face general who becomes a romance buff after marrying Shen Jin; he sticks around her, lovingly and protectively. He is handsome, wealthy and powerful. When they are recalled and return to the capital, numerous eligible women, including Shen Jin’s own sisters, come forward offering themselves to the General, but he rejects them all; his eyes are only on Shen Jin. Tall and handsome, Wu Xize’s portrayal is believable and his action scenes are pretty good.
There’re two great second couples, one loyal to Shen Jin and the other to Chu Xiuming. They act as conduits between the General and his wife, helping them resolve any misunderstandings there may be. And I love their ingenious makeshift wedding ceremony for one of the couples - simple, warm and beautiful.
The OST
This fluffy drama gives us a few amazingly beautiful official sound tracks, in particular the OST Only For You, conjuring images of the loving General and his wife.
My Verdict
I have really enjoyed watching the two love birds telling each other their love and admiration for each other constantly. Every day, every moment when they're together, the General recites love verses to his wife, confirming his love for her. His words are sweet and his love verses are romantic. They're like glue, sticking at each other’s side all the time. There are many kissing scenes. This is an ideal husband/wife relationship - loving, understanding and forgiving, which also plays an important part in the plot when the story unravels. There're no hidden emotions nor hidden feelings. She always tells her husband exactly what she wants. I love that because men are usually slow to catch hints. Her forthrightness is inspiring.
The drama is cut in an interesting way: at the end of each episode, the cut scene is played, giving additional information to the viewers without affecting the flow of the story. These cut scenes are enlightening and can make the story clearer.
Admittedly there is a lot of flaws and holes, inconsistencies and lack of details in this drama. For example, some scenes are jumped and characters are switched without warning, the couple wear shoes on their wedding bed, the abrupt change of character for the evil sisters, etc. Nonetheless, these haven’t reduced my enjoyment.
If you love supervillain, evil sisters, some palace politics, a protective powerful general with an easily jealous wife, you may like this fluffy drama like I did. Don’t miss it. And don't miss the epilogue.
The Story
To rein in the power of General Chu Xiuming (Wu Xize) who is guarding the warring border up north, the ministers press the Emperor to decree a marriage of the second daughter of Rui Wang (Prince Rui) to the General. The bad name of the General - ugly, fearsome, and having killed 2 previous wives - scares the appointed daughter, and she wriggles out and passes the marriage over to her younger half-sister, Shen Jin (Tang Min), whose mother has lost favor from her father. Shen Jin accepts the marriage because she just wants to get away from the household which she abhors. At the General’s manor, she helps fend off intruders and receives admiration from the General’s subordinates. Very soon, she realizes the general is not what she has imagined and she falls head over heels in love with him, and he her. Together, they uncover the greatest conspiracy and put the perpetrators away.
There's always a mystery - who was the mastermind behind the death of the 8th prince the crown prince and his entire family 16 years ago? All indicators point towards the Emperor and Chu Xiuming is determined to find out to bring justice for his uncle, the crown prince. The conspiracy unravels in the last 2 episodes and the show becomes nail-bitingly intense. The ending is heart-warming and satisfying; there’s no random killing off of the characters.
The Characters and The Acting
I love the Shen Jin character. How she has grown up fighting for territories in her childhood has made her courageous and proactive. She knows she has to fight for what belongs to her and what she wants so that she would not be taken advantage of. She is sensitive and not naïve, and she doesn’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Whenever she feels an imminent threat, she would jump into preventive action to protect herself and those around her. After marrying Chu Xiuming, her greatest fear is losing him to another woman as how her mother loses her father; she vows she would not take her mother's footsteps. But her schemes are mostly naïve, brainless and hilarious, causing headaches for her husband who forgives her again and again. It’s nice to see this couple resolve their misunderstandings very quickly, and both are quick to apologize to each other. She eventually grows to trust him and not jealous over any women that he may come in contact with. Tang Min’s portrayal of Shen Jin is marvelous.
General Chu Xiuming is a cold face general who becomes a romance buff after marrying Shen Jin; he sticks around her, lovingly and protectively. He is handsome, wealthy and powerful. When they are recalled and return to the capital, numerous eligible women, including Shen Jin’s own sisters, come forward offering themselves to the General, but he rejects them all; his eyes are only on Shen Jin. Tall and handsome, Wu Xize’s portrayal is believable and his action scenes are pretty good.
There’re two great second couples, one loyal to Shen Jin and the other to Chu Xiuming. They act as conduits between the General and his wife, helping them resolve any misunderstandings there may be. And I love their ingenious makeshift wedding ceremony for one of the couples - simple, warm and beautiful.
The OST
This fluffy drama gives us a few amazingly beautiful official sound tracks, in particular the OST Only For You, conjuring images of the loving General and his wife.
My Verdict
I have really enjoyed watching the two love birds telling each other their love and admiration for each other constantly. Every day, every moment when they're together, the General recites love verses to his wife, confirming his love for her. His words are sweet and his love verses are romantic. They're like glue, sticking at each other’s side all the time. There are many kissing scenes. This is an ideal husband/wife relationship - loving, understanding and forgiving, which also plays an important part in the plot when the story unravels. There're no hidden emotions nor hidden feelings. She always tells her husband exactly what she wants. I love that because men are usually slow to catch hints. Her forthrightness is inspiring.
The drama is cut in an interesting way: at the end of each episode, the cut scene is played, giving additional information to the viewers without affecting the flow of the story. These cut scenes are enlightening and can make the story clearer.
Admittedly there is a lot of flaws and holes, inconsistencies and lack of details in this drama. For example, some scenes are jumped and characters are switched without warning, the couple wear shoes on their wedding bed, the abrupt change of character for the evil sisters, etc. Nonetheless, these haven’t reduced my enjoyment.
If you love supervillain, evil sisters, some palace politics, a protective powerful general with an easily jealous wife, you may like this fluffy drama like I did. Don’t miss it. And don't miss the epilogue.
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