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The Legend of the Female General is a hilarious drama that I really enjoyed. The whole thing is a huge plot hole, so if you can’t suspend disbelief much, skip this one. The title makes its mythical ambitions, similar to Hua Mulan, obvious (of course, Mulan herself is a legend). The romantic and lyrical Chinese title é”¦æœˆå¦‚æŒ (Song of the Cloth Moon) makes it clear that this is more of an art of love than an art of war. And in that, it delivers a gripping story that will keep you enthralled.
For me, the unwitting humor here goes beyond A Dream Within A Dream (which I skipped), which tried so hard to be funny that it was more tense than entertaining. This drama takes many of the series’ best and most endearing stories with abandon and just runs with them, regardless of whether they’re well-connected or not. While I find it an unwarranted rebellion, I totally understand why it’s been criticized.
To maintain their military status, the (foolish) He family swapped their sickly and important son, He Rufei, with their strong and completely expendable daughter, He Yan. They couldn’t find a girl who was big and tall, so they chose a girl who was short, skinny, and busty. She grew up wearing a mask and achieved glory as the dubious General Feihong, whose military successes were so great that He Rufei actually wished he had been born short and skinny and busty. He staged a spectacular comeback at the height of her fame and stole her glory. Of course, no one noticed the difference in height of a single head, as the kingdom was a classic Darwin 101 example of a state on the verge of extinction. After reclaiming his name, he arranged for her to fall off a cliff, not knowing that no one dies from falling off a cliff in Chinese dramas.
Disguising herself as a man, He Yan later joined the Yezhou army, led by the famous General Feihong, her old classmate, Xiao Zhu. Suspecting that “he” was a spy, Xiao Zhu glared at “him” several times until his powerful thrusts were blocked by a pair of breasts. Yes, I was embarrassed! I loved all the dirty jokes and flirtatious talk that made me stare at my big screen TV, smiling foolishly and falling in love. I didn’t care at all that the “pretty boy” He Yan, who was dressed in the wrong gender, made fun of Xiao Zhu with her shameless flirting and half-innocent flirtatious talk.
The truth is, I don’t like celebrity romances when they’re made like this. Most of the time, I give up on them because I see the male leads go through the same exhausting motions with so many other couples whose chemistry feels contrived. There’s nothing more nauseating than the creepy duck-like stares that so many third-rate traffic actors try to sell as falling in love. This drama works well because I’m drawn to Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei’s chemistry. I saw sparks fly every time he looked at her sideways, and she looked back at him like she was ready to do something bad. True story: After a hot moment of enlightenment in episode 4, my old big screen TV really lost me and I had to rush to order a new one.
I didn’t bother to dissect the plot and logical gaps – there were so many holes, and a more articulate voiceover had already gone to town on it. The undeniable, charming chemistry and strong performances by Cheng Lei and Zhou Ye kept the series going, supported by solid performances all around. I was really impressed with how Li Qing brought the face-changing role of Cheng Lisu to life, and his romance with Song Tao Tao was endearing and funny. Chu Zhao is the best-written and most diverse character in the series. His conflict between ambition and morality is played so well by Zhang Kangle. I had to laugh at how Bai Shu made his villainous character so angry with his over-the-top facial expressions. He seemed to be having the time of his life.
The strongest aspect of the drama is the fight scenes - they are intense, fast-paced and exciting. The director is known for his troubled storytelling, but his action choreography is anything but. Some of the war tactics are an adaptation of the famous Three Kingdoms battles.
As for Zhou Ye, she is a brave person who really makes the hot scenes shine as she has a cute and girlish side. On the surface, she may not look like a female general, but she really delivers in the fight scenes. Many idol actresses shy away from intense action, daring to show off some impressive turns and some subtle arm swings like in combat. As He Yan, Zhou Ye really uses her spear and sword with great force and intensity. The tension of the demanding movements is visible on her face. She is a highly trained ballerina - despite her large frame, she is very strong and athletic. Not all generals are tall