Well this is a legit competition and I’m glad to see it was a decision made that went down to the final selection. Last week it was announced that Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei would headline the C-drama adaptation of Legend of the Female General based on the novel. She’s been leveling up as the female lead in one drama after another with Back from the Brink to Scent of Time and upcoming Love Me, Love My Voice while he’s getting his first lead step up after the breakout My Journey to You. Turns out the casting of the female lead in this drama actually went to the wire with both Zhou Ye and Lu Yu Xiao going as far as costume fittings and actual screen tests before Zhou Ye landed the role. C-netizens are divided over which actress was more suitable for the role but there isn’t much animosity between the fandoms but general speculation as to whether the right actress was cast.
Although I would have loved a reunion (imagine the chemistry!), I assume Zhou Ye was preferred because they considered she was better for this role.
From what I read in the novel… Zhou Ye is a better fit… the character is a transmigration (sort of rebirth too)…sensible, naive, resolute…so Zhou Ye would be a better fit.
While Lu Yu Xiao is good but I think Zhou Ye has a slightly closer vibe to the female character, especially when it comes to lots of martial arts and action packed scene.
By the way, I really love the main characters in the novel.
I can picture Zhou Ye in this character, thanks to her Scent of time.
But i liked the chemistry between LYX and CL but her acting itself wasnt the best in MJTY. She acted so fake and how silly no one thought she was the spy. Duh.
Good to see this new couple.
Not really. Us, viewers, could hear the ost. Every time we saw Qian on the show, the music was fitting for a Villain. So she looked fake/devious/evil.The characters, however, were obviously not hearing any tell-tale music! 😄😄😄
LYX is very delicate-looking, too delicate-looking to play the FL. ZY has some weight to her and at the very least, doesn’t look frail.
I have to add, I find Liu Yifei has the leading lady looks and built to be acting as a general… or a female Chinese warrior. Her looks in Mulan is suited for the role. It is just a shame that film was out at the wrong time. But she did spend time training to take on this role..
In today’s commercialist China, there is no time nor do agency wants their artiste to gain bulk or weight… How can quality of dramas improve? I find watching a number of dramas these days, similar to watching newbies in school productions but with more budget.
I wasn’t so sure about LYF at first and still think there could be better actresses, but I can see why they selected her. She does have a lithe body that can do martial arts choreography very convincingly. I don’t think the film was out at the wrong time; I think the film was done poorly (typical of Disney) and not given the kind of planning it deserved. LYF doesn’t give me “delicate” vibes though. She is skinny, but not dainty (at least not to me.)
Tiffany Lau from TVB did it! She got buff for those action-packed dramas from producer Jazz Boon. I feel like some C-drama actresses might do it if they’re ambitious enough.
Tiffany Lau is nice looking with a sporty built. If she works in China, I bet they will ask her to loss weight, whiten her face, and lightly afew standard PS… Hongkong definitely suits her more.
@Coralie @HL yeah the movie was a mess because they changed the story into typical American superhero movie. Mulan was ordinary woman with ordinary strength but unparalleled brains, suddenly the movie makes her have superhuman strength from kid. It takes away the woman empowering plot. In the ending she was offered to be military officer, which changed a lot from the original story of being strategist. The ending where her sister says that she’s matched also irks people, so in the end unless you have superhuman strength your happiness comes from getting a husband?
Not only that the setting using fujianese styled home was inaccurate. There wasn’t even any chinese among the writer. Anyway so many things were fucked up
Hmm…both are gorgeous girls and their acting is ok, so I’m happy no Cnetz are up in arms over who was chosen, that annoying toxic fandom behavior only causes actors/actresses to not be taken seriously.
I will say though that LYX has a sense of innate delicateness about her in the Costume Fittings, almost like she is a princess rather than a general? Obviously, a costume fitting won’t translate completely to a drama but I still think from seeing her in MJTY she couldn’t really cement that fierce lady general role. Maybe a scheming foot soldier or spy at most. I really want to see her in another period piece!
So ppl are saying ZY fits the general role better than the other? Nah. Both are lame. LOL. Nonetheless, LYX did better jobs in her roles so far. LYX was a minor role in The Longest Promise. She was a weak damsel in TLP but she looked completely opposite in My Journey to You. ZY, however, looked ALL THE SAME in whichever dramas she’s in so far. From that perspective, LYX has demonstrated a better acting range and talent than ZY. I just can’t get into ZY’s acting. She has shown no talent to this point.
Hm. This paragraph comment is misplaced and kind of random. No one’s talking about their acting skills just their visuals from the costume fitting and vibe of the character in the novel. I’m pretty sure no one here has strong views on Zhou Ye or LYX’s acting.
If anything, Zhou Ye’s look alike counterpart Zhang Jingyi is better contender for acting chops of their University class/generation.
LOL. How is my comment irrelevant? Neither of the two fits visually. That’s my starting point! LOL. And I just elaborated to make my point that acting-wise, LYX may be a better actress for the role.
Don’t expect a skinny person to play a Sumo wrestler and vice versa. Despite great acting, if the image is incongruous to the character setting, then it’s a disservice to the role and the character.
Based on purely image and characteristics of the FL, ZY is a better choice. She looks tougher than LYX already.
Zhou Ye is stick skinny especially compared to Dilreba at yesterday’s Dior event. Dilreba is the first actress that came to mind if I had to pick someone to be a female general, but she already did such a role in Long Ballad.
Dilreba is too old; the FL is 16 years old in the novel. She has a very feminine aura around her that made her role in Long Ballad unconvincing (at least to me.)
Zhou Ye fits visually but Yu Xiao has better acting chops IMO. But neither impress me. I could not finish Scent of Time because of Zhou Ye’s stone-faced acting and was not convinced by her “crying” scenes. Zhang Jing Yi or Zhao Jin Mai would be better choices.
My beef with ZY is that she CAN’T CRY. She better do more than huff this time around. That photo looks convincing, but I haven’t actually ever seen her deliver a good crying scene. She really can’t carry emotional depth well. Actors need to be able to cry, and in Chinese dramaland, the girls better be able to cry. LYX was at least able to move me to feel for her character in “Journey to You”, even when she was being psycho. CL will dance circles around ZY, acting wise, because this is a drama and not a comedy. OMGAH. I didn’t realize how irked I’d be by ZY’s casting until I found out about the strong competition she beat out. I hope she proves me wrong.
lol and ironically, all i got from lyx was that she was really good at crying, but not so convincing with other emotional portrayals. however, with that said, i also think lyx is a better actress than zy.
for this role, though, the FL was initially someone who is very strong and not weak-looking, who later transfered to another character after her previous death. in her new life, her body is this frail girl (which would suit LYX’s physique) BUT later on, will redevelop her body into a strong vessel. right now all i get from lyx is that she’s weak and no amount of body tempering will change that in the short term. while zy is also somewhat thin, she has a bigger build/frame, so it’s a little more convincing.
Whaaaaaa?? ZY with a bigger build? She’s one of the smallest actresses, I feel like! Lol. For as skinny as they all are, ZY super doesn’t have curves, thus, she always looks younger, thus, not as convincing as a tough lady or a lover. I mean–I REALLY LIKE HER–she’s just not a strong female lead. As for LYX, I wish she got this shot so I could judge! Lol
maybe of the image she presents? zy is more tomboyish and lyx is more soft.
It’s interesting seeing similar comments popping up across different currently filming dramas about how the main female leads are not suited to play the role of a female general. I am not so familiar with Cdrama but seeing all the actresses who’s been getting casted (what’s up with Cent using like the same 5 actors and actresses over and over to the point that I now can recognize them through just reading Cent gossip blogs? 😅), my question is who amongst the crop of popular actresses would? Chinese actresses are all wispy looking thing like if we want to be realistic, none of the ones I’ve seen would fit these roles visually 😅
Idk why people think female generals have to be bulky looking or muscular? Just look up any modern China female soldier and they look skinny too due to the diet of ancient times, same as the ones from Japan or Korea. Many wear skirts unless they are doing field combat.
I bet Mulan was a skinny twig too, all soldiers are surviving on rations during wars and don’t eat regular good meals especially in olden times.
I thought Zhou Lusi did great when she was doing the top martial artist tough girl act in “Who Rules the World”. You need that kind of vibe. She did it in “Romance of Tiger and Rose” before WRTW and after in “Love Like the Galazy” too. I actually haaaaate watching ZLS in weakling roles, like giiiirrrlll. They don’t suit her! She loves to work her baby voice when she plays a weakling, and it’s just so ICK!! Too bad Song Zuer hit controversy. She’s super good as a strong willed woman too, SIGH! A couple of the dramas out now have some spunky female leads, and they’ve been okay. Hopefully this drama’s storyline is actually good, and ZY has strong emotional connection with CL.
But to fully answer your question, NO ONE would fit the role of female general 😅
Sorry but Zhao Lusi is too childish to play a general and WRTW didn’t do too well in China due to both the leads’ acting getting lampooned, you can look it up on YouTube even.
Zhou Ye is great in dark roles like the bully in Better Days (iirc it was Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Film) and she comes across as actually evil when she wants, but thus is a challenge for her to show if she show a different side.
Visually from the pics, ZY looks better. Acting wise, I’m not sure because I only got to see a bit of each girls’ acting.
I just finished reading the first half of the novel and am sooooo psyched! I totally can see Zhou Ye as the female lead and the male lead role is nearly a perfect reflection of Shangjue from JTY so Cheng Lei would be AMAZING!
Zhou ye isn’t a good actress. Very mediocre acting I have seen of her from countless dramas and films. But her visuals are lovely, I think that’s why they picked her over the other actress.