Okay so this is the very first review I have ever done and honestly, it's more about me venting than anything else. I would firstly like to mention that for anybody who liked this drama, please respect my opinions. If you are planning to watch this then by all means still go ahead but I would recommended you don't get too invested like I did. Like what a lot of other users have found, ep 1-16 were actually very very well written. It was not by any means perfect but it is better than the next 46 episodes. The only reason why I stuck with it to the end was because of the main actors and actresses. But even they could not save this drama from the train wreck that it became.

Story - For a drama that has 52 episodes, the story had soooo many wtf moments that I actually can't believe I did not drop it. It was complicated, overly dramatic and at most times way too predictable. There was literally two drama's within the one. Even the characters seemed to be completely different but with the same name and faces. There was no connection apart from one minor object which was a scent pouch that conjoined these two story arcs together. I kept hoping and praying that the link would appear but obviously the writer gods did not listen. To top off all of this craziness, the ending left so much to be desired that it was the biggest slap in the face. So many questions and so many loose ends that it makes you regret staying up to 6am to finish it.

Characters - Like what I mentioned earlier, characters in this drama were very confusing as after ep 16, they basically became different characters all together. These poor actors and actresses did not have any chance of character development because of this. Furthermore we didn't really get a chance to see the origins of the main characters in detail apart from a few flash backs of the female one at the beginning. I feel as though they plunged us in the very middle of the story and never really gave us a beginning or an end.

Acting - This was the first time seeing all the actors and actresses in action and to be fair they did very well with what they were given. I think that Song Wei Long pulled off the serious and cunning Rong Zhi from ep 1-16 very very well considering he is only 19! Guam Xiao Tong did exceptionally well too especially in the emotional scenes where she cried very genuinly. Bai Lu who played the female general has to be my favourite though. Her fighting scenes were kickass and she played two characters brilliantly. I feel that the main lead couple was too young which is why there was no intimate scenes apart from a few forehead kisses here and there. This aging was a massive let down since the couple became husband and wife very early on in the show.

There were some very meaningful quotes in this drama that encourages self love so even when you loose the one you love, you can keep pushing forward. There was also a very strong undercurrent of feminism in the drama which is right up my alley but the execution and overall thought process behind was soooo poorly done that it ended up being the biggest let down. What makes me angrier is that the ratings are so high that its actually deceiving. This drama is a solid 6 in my opinion and that's basically all down to the acting and the first 16 episodes. It's worth a watch but don't get your hopes up after episode 16. Just enjoy the ride but know that you will be left with alittle more than confusion after the final scene.