Arsenal Military Academy

"Xie Xiang joins the army in her brother's stead by pretending to be a man. She becomes classmates with the wealthy Gu Yan Zhen and the calm Shen Jun Shan. Through their rigorous training, the three form a bond to become comrades, all while Xie Xiang tries to keep her cover. After many incidents, Xie Xiang earns the respect of her peers and superiors. She also becomes the object of affections of the two men in her lives. The Japanese military stations more forces in the Northeast region causing the young heroes to engage in battle as they uncover a big conspiracy."

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Watched this drama last year at around August and it is definitely one of my favorite drama. I have gone back and skimmed through the drama a few times already since finishing it because it is just that good! When I first watched it, I was so addicted. I could not stop thinking about the drama at all. I was never bored while watching it and it didn't feel like any episodes were fillers. A drama with a strong female lead about love, friendship, loyalty, and patriotism. Strong/interesting plot, great production value and a strong cast. What is there not to love about it?

I did not hear about this drama until I came across this video on Youtube that was recommended to me. The first few times that it was on my recommendation feed, I ignored it. I got tired of it keep popping up on my feed so I finally watched it and by the end of the video I was very intrigued. I usually don't prefer or liked drama in that time period, but decided to give this one a shot because of the interesting video (and the male lead is so handsome). So glad that I did! No regrets. Thank you so much to that video for introducing me to such an amazing and unforgettable drama.

The female lead, Xie Xiang/Xie Liang Chen, played by Bai Lu is such a badass. A very strong female lead who does not always need the male lead saving her, is strong, smart, and knows how to fight. She is hardworking and loyal to her friends. Bai Lu pulled off the boy look and her cross dressing is pretty believable. Fell in love with Bai Lu's acting and became a fan of her acting from this drama. Gu Yan Zhen played by Xu Kai is a lovable male lead. He is charming and a bit immature at times, but he knows what he wants and is not afraid to fight for it. Love how he is not afraid to express his love for the female lead and is always there for her. He is so so handsome, especially with that hairstyle. Xu Kai has very expressive eyes and he did an amazing job portraying Gu Yan Zhen. Bai Lu and Xu Kai had amazing chemistry and I loved their bickering, especially in the beginning. Although there are no kissing scenes between the leads, there are videos on Youtube of some of the deleted kissing scenes. Ah wish they included that in the drama, but from what I read due to censorship they had to remove those scenes.

Love all the secondary and side characters as well. Everyone fit their role perfectly and all the characters were well developed with interesting backstory. Lots of eye candies keke. Honestly, they did a fantastic job casting for the drama. Strong dynamic between the characters and absolutely love the brotherhood and friendships that was formed. Romance was not the only focus of the plot, which was refreshing. The drama started out pretty light and comedic, but then things get pretty serious and dark, which is expected from a war base drama. 

 I absolutely love the OST and the clothing designs in the drama. The OST is very fitting and addicting. My favorite song from it is probably Tango Under the Moonlight by Wu Jia Yi. When I initially heard it, I fell in love with the song. Very fitting for the drama and it makes me want to dance. The clothing designs were on point, especially the clothing for the male characters. So badass and fashionable.

The storyline of this drama is so interesting and unique, that's probably why I love this drama so much. Watching this drama actually kind of makes me want to live in that time period.

I could go on and on about this drama. 110% recommend it! This will definitely be a drama I keep coming back to.