Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

I’m interested in reading ya’ll thoughts for this drama, seeing how it approached the novel very differently and fans criticisms were evident in just the first few episodes.

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Stills:

Our beautiful male lead, Wallace Chung.

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The effortlessly beauty, Angelababy.

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OTP.

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Sun Yi Zhou.

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Gan Ting Ting.

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Their Love Story…

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Sun’s Last Moment…

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Fanmade MVs:

General Questions You Might Want to Ponder About In Your Review:

1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?
2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?
3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?
4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?
5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?
6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?

Feel free to throw out your own questions!

>>> Episodes POST <<<
>>> DL OST POST <<<

  1. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?
    Is is not a good adaptation of the Novel. I’m the type that usually think the book is always better and in this case, this is more than obvious. I don’t mind they changing things here and there (like Boss & Me, You Are My Sunshine, 3 Lives 3 World) but this is a story where the novel itself already have so many potentials. They ruined it by including unnecessary things.
    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?
    To developed a sense of uniqueness and get more ratings? Personally, I think it’s a wrong move. Other dramas (listed above as well as Love 020 (One Smile is Very Alluring) stayed faithful to the novel and they received very good ratings and love from the audience. 3L3W was very faithful and look where it got them, the top of the viewer’s chart! Wish they did the same for this potential gold mine.
    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?
    My favorite thing about this drama is the costume. Other than that, wish they cast a better actress to play BPT. Wallace was good but he didn’t give off the vibe of the CBJ that was in the novel. My least favorite thing was definitely the CGI and how they convoluted the plot.
    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?
    Wallace tried but even he couldn’t save it for me.
    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?
    They tried their best and I gave it my best shot to be open minded, but neither of them did the job for me. CBJ was a more ruthless and decisive individual to me and Angela did not capture either the strong personalities or her vulnerabilities of BPT. She made her seem whiny to me.
    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?
    For a person who never read the novel, perhaps. But even then, they would notice all the flaws in the production. But for me, I considered it a flip. The novels plot itself was already complicated enough but they had to add more episodes and unnecessary things to drag it further.

    The truth is, I was really disappointed in the drama. I kept hoping it would get better but it never did and things kept on going downhill for me. Even Wallace couldn’t save the drama for me. As for AB, I kept hoping she would improve in her acting but I was not lucky there as well. They have some chemistry but it’s not one that burn the screen for me. The funny thing is, when I found out this was made into a drama, I was all riled up for it rather than 3 Lives 3 Worlds because I though the CGI and plot in that one is more complex. Who would know that in the end, it’s the General and I that has CGI problem as well as plot development issue. I still don’t know how it became top drama while it was airing. Must be because of Wallace in my opinion.

    • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

      Thank You, nice written review, all my thoughts. I am too sad…I tried and tried to like the the drama with its changes and stopped at 20th.ep and then only flicked through the rest…
      ….what I liked on General and I: the OST and the costumes….The novel had so much potential….

      • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

        yes, I totally forgot about the OST. it is what i like about the drama as well.

    • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

      Thank u for d spot on review!!!!! I agree 1000000%
      They made so many changes that I thought I was watching some other drama and not d adaption of d novel.
      Also it was so evident d places they used d body double, especially for Angelababy.
      Tooo many wide shots as body doubles were used, so it was shot like this to hide that.
      They just messed up big time! I had LOVED LOVED LOVED d novel…

      Same here, I loved d costumes and d OST

  2. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed? It’s a terrible adaption from the novel. Waaay so much different. Ping Ting geniusity is not too much exposed here. The drama is more focused on the romance between PIng Ting and Zhu Bei Jie. I wish that Yao Tian could live happily with He Via.
    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel? Perhaps if they follow the novel it would be too hard, the viewers perhaps will be bored with so many strategies.
    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? My favourite thing : The men all so devoted to their wives, except for He Xia. I really love Zui Ju and Fan Lu, they are so cute…
    Naturally, Least favorite thing? Too many kissing scenes between Bei Jie and Ping Ting.
    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?
    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters? WAllace perform great here. He embodies the character of Zhu Bei Jie very well. Angelababy? I’m not too sure.
    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel? Quite successful, from middle part to the end of the drama

  3. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?

    The drama is nothing like the novel except for the characters and key events. I am not a fan of the novel, so I was very happy with what I got in the drama. The plots that didn’t make sense & I didn’t like in the novel were removed (e.g., Bai Pingting being sold into slavery after the downfall of Jing An Wang Manor, she pretending to be Miss Hua & Chu Beijie mistaking her identity, she being kept as a bed partner by Chu Beijie after she returned to him in Jin).

    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?

    I do like faithful adaptations such as Sound of the Desert & Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. I didn’t like what they did to Love in the Moonlight / Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (K-drama). If I were a fan of the novel, I might have been unhappy, but I love the drama. I only read the novel to know what was going to happen in the drama. But, of course, I found out later that the drama is so different that reading ahead did not help. I was still kept anxiously waiting for new episodes to be aired every single day. I applaud the scriptwriter for the courage to change the novel.

    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?

    Favorite: The awesome cast. The changed story line. The beautiful costumes. The wonderful music. Bai Pingting being smarter & less emotional than she was in the novel (I think she was much improved in the drama & that’s the one reason that kept me invested).

    Least favorite: The stupid CGI. What a freaking waste. And how can Wallace Chung & Angelababy only had 10 days of filming together for a 62-episode drama (if this is true)?

    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?

    The changed storyline. I might be the only one, but if it has been a faithful adaptation of the novel, I would have dropped it. I read a few chapters of the novel (Volume 1), didn’t like it, dropped it, & then, had to force myself to continue, but I did love Volumes 2 & 3.

    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?

    Absolutely. They did brilliantly. I cannot imagine anyone else as Bai Pingting especially.

    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?

    YES! XD

  4. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the novel? What would you like changed?

    Not at all. I would have preferred it if they remove the background story of the leads’ first meeting.

    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?

    The novel had content for 30~40 episodes, but the production wanted 62 for the money.

    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, least favorite thing?

    Favourite thing? Let me think… hmm… hmm… the OST maybe??? The least favourite will be the excessive use of green screens. This isn’t even a xianxia drama. Even if you want to use them, at least make them look more realistic.

    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?

    No one. I didn’t expect it to be this bad really.

    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?

    I’m not impressed by any of them, Wallace included. I’m a fan of Wallace, but I can’t understand why people claim that he’s great in this drama. A stupid plot can overcome all acting prowess. Given that I’m a really simple drama-watcher, the plot grabbed 99% of my attention, and I was too busy being disappointed to think about whether the actors were acting well. Truth be told, when you have such a lousy story, any kind of acting is a plus already.

    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?

    No, duh! Even as a drama itself it isn’t successful, so how can it qualify as a successful adaptation? Actually, you can hardly say that it’s an adaptation too. There are way too many changes.

    • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

      haha. I second your review. the drama was too disappointing. It should be considered a spin-off rather than an adaptation. Like you, I’m also a simple drama-watcher. I had expected it to be good, if not excellent, but this production was such a mess!

      • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

        I think they took too many liberties when adapting the novel, and they didn’t think through things carefully. As I mentioned, a lot of it is because they tried to extend the drama beyond the novel’s contents, but the added plots don’t tie in to the main story, making them seem superfluous.

        In particular, the childhood portion annoyed me the most. First of all, kids don’t know love, so it’s just a stretch saying that they fell in love because they knew each other ages ago. Moreover, if BPT’s father saved CBJ in the past, why the hell is he forcing her to marry him? I was so shocked by the early kiss too. It was just so random! I almost didn’t want to continue watching because of that.

        Next, we have the evil concubine, the queen dying, plus the new queen side plot. Basically, they (sorta) split the original character into three just to extend the length of the drama again.

        Finally, BPT’s rival in love Lady Shisan. I wondered what her purpose was in the drama as well. Perhaps to give Wallace a little more screen time.

        If I were to offer my advice to the production, the first will be to keep the story concise. Chinese dramas now have so many episodes even though it makes the story progress at the speed of a snail. If it actually needed that many episodes, it wouldn’t be that bad. But G&I didn’t.

        Secondly, when adapting a female-centric drama, keep it female centric. Generally, online novels focus on the female character because 99% of the authors are females and they just try to project themselves onto their characters. It’s natural that the male lead has less presence. If they didn’t try to cast a big name male lead in Wallace (who is nothing like CBJ anyway), they won’t have to go to lengths to balance the story.

        • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

          +1 !! I had seen WC in about 5 dramas and I thought he was a fine actor. With this drama, I really had to stop watching after about 8 episodes. I tried to watch AB. I agreed she had improved and I sympathized with her acquisition of her personal acting coach very much, but I still think she has a much greater talent at earning unbelievable amount of money. I still can’t watch more than a few hours of AB’s acting. A 62 episode drama of AB is just too much for this year. I find reading the financial news about her being a Venture Capitalist for tech firms along with a number of C entertainers more interesting than watching her in G&I.

          I find this drama’s very strong focus in trying to aim for maximum monetary returns really interfered with too many aspects of the drama adversely.

        • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

          Had I continued watching G&I, I may not be able to watch WC ever again, so I decided I had to stop watching G&I.

          AB is not a great fit for this role. This director should have done more takes and demand more from the actors before putting out the final edited version. The whole drama was produced and sent out for broadcast in a rush.

  5. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    Disappointed since I’ve read and loved the novel. They should have stayed true to the book.

  6. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    I just wanted to say… bad cringy acting. I felt so many things while reading the book, but felt nothing while watching the drama. There were so many scenes in the trailer that seemed to have potential, but when it came to play in the drama, it was just bland.
    They also altered the storyline poorly, some of the most meaningful scenes in the novel were skipped.
    Disappointing. I want a remake 🙁

    • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

      Completely unrelated but I want a remake for Hua Xu Yin as well… Best they make it into a movie since the novel is quite short 🙁

      • 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

        omg same! There was so much acting talent in that one but I couldn’t even get through 2 episodes of the drama 🙁

  7. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    I have download the whole drama but am hesitate to watch. I do enjoy Wallace dramas often. He tends to choose his dramas quite well. But Angelababy is a different matter. I dont remember any production she does I really love. But she is improving slowly. Thank you Kappy for the range of different reviews from everyone.
    Great discussion panel you have setup.

  8. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    i thought the drama was good at first then the terrible cgi backgrounds threw me off. Why didn’t the main couple film with the cast? Like they were literally cgied into a scene.

  9. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    This is one of the best series I watches in a long time. There were some problem with the GCI but I didn’t expect much for a chinese series.

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?

    I actually watch the drama before I read the book. I enjoyed the drama more, there was more logic when it came to the drama. The childhood relationship was a little cliché but it made sense and also tied in with the drama. I wish their was more scene between BpT and CBJ.

    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel? To make it more logical. CbJ love and devotiong for bai ping ting made more sense because she was his life saver. The reason for seperation was way better than the novel.

    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?
    The cast! The Chemistry between BPT and CBJ was incredible. Their kissing scene was the most natural and pasionate among all Chinese drama i’ve watch, including 3 lives 3 world 10 Miles of Peach blossom. Where I found the male lead was more passionate than the female.
    I hated the extra character of the yan 13, and I wished the ending was more extended.

    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I? Wallce chung. Actually the whole cast did an amazing job.

    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters? I thinknit did!

    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel? YES VERY Successful I was liked wallace but now I am a super fan! Love him!

  10. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    Very disappointed! agree with everyone above! i read the novel and this is a major disappointment. story changed too much but not the reason it was a horrible drama, but also the story didn’t makes any sense anymore. ost was good. horrifying backgrounds. Angelababy acting wasn’t too good. I literally gave up around ep 20, tried again but couldn’t watch the full thing, skimmed through everything.

  11. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    Hello everyone,

    I absolutely love this show! I even watched it twice without using the fast-forward button! I haven’t felt passionate about a show in so long, this one definitely on my favorite list! I even signed up for forums to have discussion about this show, it was great, made so many new friends globally, something I have never done with other series before. Now to answer the following questions.

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?
    I did not read the novel prior to the Drama so I enjoyed it so much more! I did go back and read vol 1. and then skimmed through the novel. I prefer the Drama compared to the novel. What I would change would be taking out the Lady 13 storyline what a waste of time, but I did love, love the chess game between BPT and CBJ and the look on Lady 13 face when she realized she is no match against BPT. I did wish they extended the ending, showing more of what the future offers with all the characters instead of the flashbacks, they should have done flash forward. I was happy with the “Happy ending” but not satisfied.

    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?
    At first I was not too fond with the idea of the childhood link, but it tied in with the drama really well! I like the reasoning of why BPT left CBJ and had the 3 years separation better than the novel and it made much more sense and less selfish than in the novel.

    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?
    Wallace Chung was perfect in the series! His acting was so good, there are even scene where he had very little dialogue and he acts so well with just his eyes! I also love the chemistry between Wallace and Angelababy, how they look at each other makes me blush a little hehe. I have always felt awkward when couple kiss in ancient series, but the two made it look natural and very passionate. I like how Angela also took charge and didn’t relie on Wallace to do all the work. Other actresses usually just stand there and close their eyes or they have that surprised look when the male kiss them and they open their eyes and stand there stiff and pretend to be so shock and then realized they are being kissed either they pushed the male off and act all shy or get mad and slap the guy.

    I loved the sisterhood between ZJ , YF and BPT, there were not fighting over guys it was just simple sisterhood! I really enjoyed the cast, they also had chemistry together!

    The second pairing HX and Princes YT, although he was evil and she was blinded by her love for her husband, and we can say that they making paths for their own death, I was still very sad for them. I think that SYZ and GTT played their role very well!

    One of my favorite character was MoRan, the actor played this part so well! I love his loyalty and his character was so cute! I wished we could have seen him end up with a lady love.

    The OTS was very good very good! It fit the show so well! The cinematography was so pretty. I felt that the fighting and action was very well done, better than most martial art series I’ve seen in the last year! There was so many favorite action scene that I loved! To name a few the fight between CBJ and prince of Jing An, the part where CBJ stabbed BPT, the fight between CBJ and HX at the Queens funeral, the attack on the country house,,,, there so many more!

    My least favorite is the use of the green screen and how it was edit, now in an interview the director said that they did not have enough time to edit the show as the government wanted the show to air sooner than anticipated. I wonder what the finishing product would look like if they were allotted all that time to edit the series.

    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?
    There so many good thing about the series, I think the cast and crew did a fantastic job, however If I would to pick one person, it of course be Wallace Chung, he out act Angelababy, but not to say that Angelababy was bad, she was pretty decent, I would say very good as BPT. Watching her on the Hurry up Brother, she is so out going and playful, watching her as BPT it is a 360 degree turn, and I thought she played the calm and smart very well as well! A lot fo complaint of her being wooden, but I felt that in the begining of the series, she was trying to keep to herself when she was captured by CBJ, but later on when she confessed her love to him, you start to see her personality. I love that the two only can be themselves around each or people they really trust. And of course the chemistry between the two lover! I absolutely love!

    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?
    Wallace was excellent! Angelababy has improved so much!! And yes they did perform their character well, I am glad they cast AB, fresh face and fresh pairing!

    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?
    It was different from the Novel, I liked it better than the Novel! The Drama itself was very successful!! It made more sense to me! I don’t know why people got confused and didn’t understand the drama. It was not that complex.

  12. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    I watched this drama with my finger on the fast-forward button. Basically, I skipped all the side-stories and focused only on scenes involving Angelababy & Wallace. I think of the rest as just fillers. If it’s just the story between the main characters, we would have finished it all within 16 episodes; like KDrama. And yes, you can actually follow the story perfectly well without watching the side-stories. For once I do agree with popular opinion that 3L3W is actually a much better drama than G&I.

  13. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    Forget all about the post-production issue, forget the original novel, you will see it’s a beautiful drama to watch. It’s also the best C-drama i’ve watch in recent years. Great acting from all the casts (except from AB, though she has improved a lot) and Wallace did a excellent job here. And i think DIrector Ju Jue Liang said it right, it’s a drama for those who have brains.

  14. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    I agree with most of the already written reviews!!!

    I read all the 3 volumes as soon as the airing date was confirmed. I got super excited BUT 4 eps into the drama. I felt like I got doused with buckets of cold water. The CGI wasn’t even helping matters. I don’t mind the changes, but they could have at least stayed true to how the characters were portrayed in the book, if the production team can’t stay true to the story. The CBJ that was portrayed in the book felt so different from the one depicted in the drama.

    I’m yet to finish the show, I’m hoping it gets better, but I guess that’s wishful thinking on my part. I might have to employ the use of FF button.

  15. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    The drama was as terrible an adoption as it could be!I started the drama first but couldn’t proceed more than 13 episodes The story was ridiculously dramatic and cliched. The directing and editing was horrible. The mediocre acting and awful CGI only encouraged me to drop it sooner.

    After dropping the drama, I got curious as to why a story full of over-the-top and unrealistic moments, superficial dialogues, makjang antagonists were so popular so I check out the novel…and I couldn’t believe how mercilessly it was butchered in the drama! I loved the book of General and I even more than 3 Lives 3 Worlds actually, I found the conflicts more engaging, the characters more humanly flawed and the era more believable cruel. I just couldn’t understand why they needed to bring so much changes in the drama when the original novel itself had so much substance!

    Anyway, I hope there’d be a better and more faithful remake of the novel some day. I’ll pretend this one never happened.

  16. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?
    Did not read the novel, so I wouldn’t have a clue what to change and what not to change.
    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?
    No clue. But I actually loved the plot so my opinion might defer from the novel’s fans.
    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?
    Favorite thing: Chu Bei Jie and Bai Ping Ting’s mutual trust and deep love. Least favorite thing: annoying evil characters.
    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?
    Wallace Chung and Sean Shu. Admittedly, I was more attracted to Sean Shu’s bad boy persona than Wallace in the drama, but sadly he isn’t the OTP. But I’m glad that he was sort of redeemed by the end.
    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?
    I think they did great with the characters. I don’t know what issues others have with Angelababy but I’ve only seen her in Love O2O and this, she’s actually decent in both so she’s ok in my book. I actually preffered that they tone down with the kissing and PDA scenes.
    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?
    Refer answer 1 & 2.

  17. 28 thoughts on “Review it: General and I (Cdrama, 2017)

    I saw a review section so I came…lol

    I actually read this story ages ago and gave up after chap 60ish. Then I watched the drama and then re read the book and realised I’ve read it before.

    1. Did the drama do a good adaptation of the Novel? What would you like changed?
    Not a fan of the added childhood storyline and upgrading Concubine Li to 1st Major Antagonist. I understood why they had to do it but there simply were other ways. I would have preferred if Wallace’s character was more inline with the book, and kept him as the brother of the King instead of an illegitimate brother. It gave him more of an air of nobility if he had remained the kings brother and tied in better with why the death of the two prince was placed on his head. I think as an adaption there were some good and some bad, I thought the Ping Ting in the book was a lot of times too inactive while the drama Ping Ting was more proactive and came off much wiser. Making CBJ be directly involved with the demise of the Jing An household was a double edge blade, though it gave He Xia a legitimate reason to hate his guts but it also made BPT come off too callous for not remembering her benefactors when she accepted his love.

    2. Why do you think they changed so much from the novel?
    One of the reason’s I dropped the book years ago was the constant theme of captured women being forced into submission and falling in love with their capture. It was evident in CBJ+BPT and the doctor girl and her boyfriend. I think if it kept it as per the book it would have been hard to accept and would have I think gave the wrong impression to viewers. I’m sorry, but keeping a woman locked away as a bed mate for 8 months without saying a single thing to her, using her only for sex, is just horrible, there is no other way to say that. the doctor girl was also locked up for years, living in fear of her capture violating her till she ‘eventually’ fell in love, he at one point did try to rape her.

    3. What is your favorite thing about the drama? Naturally, Least favorite thing?
    Favorite thing…the girl’s relationship, how each one of them were so supportive of each other and when death stood in front of them, they would willingly put themselves forward to save the other. The battles and different tactics they used, I swear multiple times I thought BPT was going to cough up blood with the amount of thinking she had to do. As a reader of Sun Tzu Art of War, I recognise the different methods they used, which was taken directly from the novel so I assume the author had done her research. I’m going to be superficial and say Angelababy’s face and costume, my god she is beautiful, when Concubine Li said she was plain I nearly choked, I only realised later she’s suppose to be plain looking. The ending to He Xia was another great scene, I loved that they kept this from the book and built on it. My least favorite would be the survival of Concubine Li, but then she was used as a plot point to further the Kings agenda so it ended up okay. The excessive green screen is another annoyance. Angelababy’s lipstick annoyed me too, i’ve always hated the half lip look.

    4. Who or what is the saving grace of General and I?
    The battle scenes and the romance, the balance between them. I was not a fan of the internal struggle of the royal family so the whole deal with Concubine Li annoyed me, but whenever the leads popped up and when a battle was brewing i was on the end of my seat again.

    5. With the major changes made to the drama, did Wallace and Angelababy perform well with the given characters?
    Wallace did not look like a general, he was too thin and shoulders too narrow. Sean Sun as He Xia was a lot more suitable as a great general. However, Wallace’s acting was still good and made me overlook the visual aspect and really appreciate his solid performance, it grounded the drama. Angelababy was very green for the first few episodes, she got a lot better towards the end, her turning point would be when He Xia comes to the bamboo forest and took her away, she seemed to have connected to the character from there and really impressed me with her two break down scenes. One when she thought CBJ had died and He Xia took her away and the 2nd when she realised she had laid a trap for CBJ unwittingly and had and always will be his enemy in battle so she choose to leave. I was disappointed with Wallace’s scene when he thought BPT had died, the book did this part very well but the drama lacked the punch.

    6. Would you consider the drama a successful adaptation of the novel?
    As a stand alone drama, I think it’s a good drama, there were some imperfections and some things could be better but overall a good drama. As an adaption, if 5 was a passing mark then I would say it was. It keep certain elements and removed the more taboo ones, it padded the story a bit too much but also made some good changes. So 5/10 for an adaption, but I would say a 8/10 as a drama.

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