Surprisingly enjoyable, not the regular military drama!

I will update this review as we get more episodes out and I have more to say on specific aspects, and as of currently writing, we have seen 14 episodes, so my opinion might change before the end.

To start, I’ll say that I normally don’t enjoy much military movies and dramas, even if I have been in the Navy for a few years myself. But ever since I discovered Wei Wuxian played by Xiao Zhan in 2020, I’ve been curious to follow his career, and I decided to give it a try. And surprisingly, I have discovered that there is actually way more than the military aspect to this drama, and I have come to enjoy it way more than I expected.

I’m not very technical when watching a drama, so I won’t talk about the production point of view, for me it’s good enough to feel quite realistic and believe the story, and that’s all what I ask for!

So, what will you find if you try it? A bit of background history about the modernization of China that would lead to what it is now, but really not that much, just so we can understand better the characters’ journey over the course of 40 years. Quite some training, with parts that are efficient and others that… justify the need for modernization! Lol Yet it doesn’t take that much space, as the main focus seems way more on the interaction, the relationships between comrades and also with their officers. Some of them that take controversial stances and thus will help the main characters to grow in a realistic way, with enough humor and emotions that it is definitely not drab! Of course, as it’s a Chinese drama, don’t expect much gore, even when firepower is used, most injuries are either superficial or shown only after being taken care of! And of course, some romance, which seems properly set for the time and place, though it’s far from the main focus. So far, the family relationships, either parents-children or siblings, also seem important, though not all fully developed yet.

Ok, about the characters. The main hero, the one that seems to me to have the longest way to go to grow, is this Gao Liang, a goofy orphan that join the military to emulate or maybe pay homage to his fallen gege, his older brother. He will meet right from the start the one that seem at 1st his antagonist but will soon rather become the protagonist, even though he’s nearly the opposite in everything, the nerds Gu YiYe that sees through his pranks and doesn’t buy them! Unfortunately, both will fall in love with the same girl, Jiang NanZheng, nearly at 1st sight. She also becomes a main protagonist, both very determined to improve themselves and set the example for Gao Liang, one through love (or at least infatuation), the other through competition and friendship.

I find Liang quite annoying in a way, often lacking seriousness, precisely as his character should be, as I expect he’ll eventually outgrow that goofiness to become the one he needs to be to improve the over all army as the synopsis tells us he will! Johnny Huang’s acting seems pretty solid to me, he’s very believable in that annoying superficial prankster, yet he’s already started to show deeper layers that should develop into something interesting.

When we 1st meet Yiye, I was also annoyed by the trope of the “know-it-all” that always does exactly what he should, strive to improve himself but is seen as arrogant by others even when he’s not. He reminded me a lot of the Hermione (Harry Potter’s reference for those who wouldn’t have read/seen it) of the beginning, before the boys make her more likable! And that is what annoys me no end, that a nerds must be either socially inapt or arrogant, no in between. But then, I guess that I shouldn’t ask for too much subtleties in a military drama! And then… my feelings were subverted as there is also so much more to not only the character himself, but the role he’s hinted at. Let’s see where it goes! As for Xiao Zhan portrayal, well, I think it’s the character, out of all his roles, that is the most similar to his own personality, smart, charismatic, determined and hardworking, so it feels perfectly natural, and that is impressive in itself since it is often easier to “play” a different character than one’s own, which is very revealing! And in the latest episode so far, the 14th, he’s displayed an impressive range of emotions, barely without any word spoken, so I’m very pleased by his performance, and really looking forward to where he’ll bring that character!

As for NanZheng, she is also very determined to become the best, impersonating what she believes to be the model female soldier while willing to break rules when she thinks it is not too risky (though she sets her own standard to what is risky or not!). She becomes infatuated with Yiye from the 1st sight too, but they’re both conscious that it is not well regarded by their superior, so they try to hide it as much as possible, and keep it mostly in writing. I really enjoy her complicated family story, and Elaine Zhong displays well her conflicting feelings.

They are supported by a bunch of older actors that mostly do a good job either helping or hindering them, sometimes with lots of humor, other times very emotionally. I especially appreciate Li YouBin in the role of the Division Commander Zheng Yuan, he’s awesome in the gruffy yet caring and wise officer.

So, as far as it goes for now, I give this drama, to my utter surprise, somewhere between 9 and 10! Let’s see if it stays that way till the end!

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